Hello, hello, hello! Long time, no see! That’s entirely my bad, so I apologize for my long absence. This summer was hectic: I was working long days, while trying to make time for my family and all my outside interests. So many things were happening at once, so I had to prioritize a little. I’m sorry. But I’m back!
I thought I would start with a little reading update, showing you everything I read this summer. None of these will be long reviews, just little tidbits to give you an idea of what you may like. :) I had hoped to read more this summer, but, like I said, too much happening in too little time. Check any/all of them out below—novels first, plays second—and let me know if you’ve read or are planning to read any of them: I’d love to hear your thoughts! Enjoy!
1) The Map of Lost Memories by Kim Fay: This novel was a welcome recommendation from my mom. Taking place in 1925, the story follows Irene Blum, a female museum curator chasing after the lost scrolls of the Khmer civilization. From Seattle to Shanghai to Saigon to Cambodia, we follow her on her quest, encountering sexism, drug addiction, colonialism, criminality, and natural dangers, all set against a lavish background of Asia in the ‘20s. First of all, if you can’t already tell, I love this time period. The twentieth century in general is a brilliant place to set a book, but the 1920s are especially exciting. Add to it that Irene is basically a female Indiana Jones—admittedly with less training—and I was sold. Also, my mom loves this book, so I had an obligation, ya know? Both well-researched and visually stunning (I’d love to see a movie version of this; Fay wrote so well that I could envision EVERYHING), it drew me in and kept my eyes racing along the page. After every chapter, I would have to Google something, so intrigued by what had just been told to me about Asian history, or the Khmers, or Angkor, or even how museum curatorships work. My only complaint it how unbelievably frustrated I would get with the characters sometimes. There were literally moments where I was like, “Alright, I just need you to fall off a cliff, or get a disease, or something, because you are driving me nuts.” Overall, though, I really enjoyed this book. Solid recommendation for all you adventurers/history nerds out there! (Also, if anyone wants to go explore Angkor with me, lemme know.)
2) The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Vol. I by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: I’ve had an obsession with Sherlock Holmes since I was a kid. It started after I took a detective class at Bright Lights (do any of you not know what that is? If not, hit me up, and I’ll explain), coming off of reading a few Nancy Drew novels; there, I was given my first Sherlock Holmes story, and a book that I borrowed and accidentally forgot to return. I was hooked from the first few sentences, and I dove into anything I could find that was about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. That continues today, with the old movies, Sherlock, and the recent addition of the Charlotte Holmes books. So, this summer, I decided to reread all of them, starting with an antique volume I had (not the one pictured). They were brilliant. As always. There’s a reason that these stories have lasted for so long, and have been the example to hold all detective stories up to. Doyle was a clever, intelligent writer, yet never did he make the reader feel lost or stupid. Instead of confusion, there is fascination. Of course, there is also the colors of sexism and racism, but that is to be expected when you’re reading 19th century literature. If you haven’t read the Sherlock Holmes stories, please do. They are 10/10, always and forever favorites, and I will never not read/watch anything having to do with my favorite duo of all-time. Go forth! Read! Share my obsession (please)!
3) You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero: You guys. This book. This self-help book that graces all the “Read This” shelves at Barnes and Noble and independent bookstores alike. It. Is. So. Good. Truly, Sincero lives up to the hype. I hadn’t been a fan of self-help books before, but this one converted me. I literally read this book with a yellow highlighter sitting beside me, and I have pages upon pages of wisdom that I took note of. I would share my favorites, but I think it would take too long; there’s so much to absorb. Almost more importantly, though, Sincero doesn’t write with the dry, wizened voice of stereotypical self-help gurus: she is snarky, explicit, and hilarious. It reads as if you’re talking to your best friend, and your best friend possesses crazy knowledge and knows just how to explain it. Sincero is a no B.S. type of person; she writes it straight. She has helped open my eyes to the infinite possibilities that lie within us, and is pushing me towards accessing the courage and enthusiasm it takes to unlock each of them. That may sound cheesy, but I truly believe it. Her words are fiery, optimistic, smart, and so encouraging. I’ll definitely be turning to this one time and time again. Sincero has earned that spot on the Barnes and Noble center shelf. You go, Jen.
4) The Ambition Decisions: What Women Know About Work, Family, and the Path to Building a Life by Hana Schank and Elizabeth Wallace: Okay. I know I just wrote that gushing paragraph on Jen Sincero. But if I had to choose a book that changed my life this summer, it would be this one. This book is a masterpiece; it’s fairly thick, and I finished it in two days, unable to put it down and excitedly reading it during breaks, lunch, and as soon as I got home from work. These two women, both writers, reached a point in their lives where they felt that they had hit a roadblock. Getting into their forties and looking back on their life paths, they felt uncertain and confused. So, Schank and Wallace decided to contact all their sorority sisters from their time at Northwestern, and see if they could concoct some form of something to figure out where to go. After all, women don’t really have many stories to turn to in times of confusion; the role models, the formulas to model your life after, are still mostly male. What they found out is fascinating, eye-opening, inspiring, and, I’d argue, a bit of a game-changer. They talk about the history of women’s roles in the world, how they’re changing, and how the rest of the world isn’t keeping up. They talk toxic masculinity and gender norms, how those expectations have the capability of really limiting both men and women. They talk sexism, both in the workplace and at home, how people can look down upon women choosing to climb the corporate ladder and women choosing to stay home and raise their children. However, none of this is written drily. It’s funny, and sad, and heart-warming, and gasp-inducing, and freaking inspirational. I read this book over a month ago, and I am still thinking about it. 10/10. Read it. Change your life. Thank you.
5) The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan: I picked up this book while browsing through the Goodwill shelf this summer (y’all, Goodwill has a treasure chest of books), and was intrigued by the era it takes place in: Belle Epoque Paris, 1878. The novel follows two sisters, Antoinette and Marie van Goethem, who are from a poor Parisian family. Their father has recently died, their mother is an alcoholic, and they still have to look after the baby of the family, Charlotte. Street-wise Antoinette finds work in a controversial play, but is drawn into the shadows by young Emile Abadie; determined Marie begins dancing with the ballet of the Paris Opera, catching the eye of one Edgar Degas and another, much darker man. The two sisters’ lives intertwine with artistry, morality, loyalty, and pure survival, in an age where “The Painted Girls” means more than one thing. I ate this book up. I was unsure of what I would think as I started, but it turned out to be both beautiful and heartbreaking. Although I made it all the way through without realizing that the three sisters were real people (not just speculation from Degas’s paintings), I loved the distinct voices of the sisters. Antoinette and Marie have vastly different viewpoints of the world, and it’s obvious in the way they speak and think. As the book continues, it’s interesting and, at times, saddening to see how the two alter their way of seeing the world. You see innocence lost and wisdom gained, strength and courage ebbing and flowing between the two. It’s also just such a fascinating read on the time period. I knew a little about the history of Paris before reading this book, but the details provided shocked me. Wonderfully researched and written, and, although it’s dark, there are fantastic points of humor. Though it’s not on my Top Ten list, per se, Buchanan still wrote an amazing book, and I’d be remiss to not recommend it.
6) The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo: If I had to pick a least favorite on this list, this book would be it. It’s not that it’s a bad novel, necessarily. It’s just so unbelievably depressing, with no real lesson or even touch of bittersweetness, and I carried the weight of it with me all day. I was a downer for one entire day after reading this book. Basically, the story follows a girl named Lucy, from her college years into marriage and children; the catch is, she is in love with a man whom she believes she can’t have. You follow their tumultuous, passionate relationship and the safe, familial one she has with her husband. The style of writing is what drew me to the book in the first place: the entire novel is written to the reader, everything being “you did this” and “you did that” and “remember when we…?” I haven’t seen that style very often. I still think it’s a very cool way to communicate a story. However, I just wasn’t impressed by this one. I understand that it’s supposed to be a lesson in following your heart, or having no regrets, or the deeper complexities of relationships; I get that. I just needed something joyful in there, as opposed to a never-ending weight. If any of you have read it, please let me know what you thought. I’d love to hear someone else’s opinion.
7) All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown compiled by The Moth: I finished this series of short stories (originally speeches performed on The Moth stage) recently, and it was another that I finished in a few days. I loved the entire curation. The book has everyone from actors to astronomers to comedians to chemists to morticians to singers to David Bowie’s hairstylist to a humanitarian to a Holocaust survivor to a child soldier to an FBI informant to…literally every type of person you could think of. Each story is so different; each voice so unique. Their connectivity comes in the form of something so simple yet so complicated: each is so, so human. As you can guess from the title, each is a story about facing something unknown, a scary experience for anyone. Each speaker/writer found their courage in a different way, and each came to the same conclusion: we are all much stronger than we think we are, and this is why. Simultaneously hilarious, heartbreaking, and humanizing, this book is an easy, wonderful read. Go pick it up when you get the chance.
8) The Plays: Three Tall Women (Edward Albee), The Winter’s Tale (William Shakespeare), Buried Child (Sam Shepard), and Twelfth Night (William Shakespeare): Plays, I find, necessitate analysis. I didn’t want to do that to you all here, so I thought I’d just update on what plays I read. Each was wonderful, and I definitely want to reread multiple times and delve back in. If any of you are wanting to discuss them, again, hit me up! I love talking literature! :)
And that’s all, folks! Whether you skimmed or made it all the way through, thank you for reading. Have a great day!
~Rhiannon~