It's February! My goodness. Here's a super quick rundown what I read last month:
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
116 pages
Edna Pontellier, a kept woman at the turn of the century, has had enough. Enough of her husband. Enough of being home Tuesdays for society women to call on. Enough of pretending to enjoy mindless activities like sewing and enough of feeling obligated to give every ounce of herself to her children. Edna wants to party. She wants to host dinners and got to horse races and let other men kiss her. Edna is done taking crap.
Verdict: I have read this book several times and enjoy it more each and every time.
Confessions of an Unlikely Runner by Dana L. Ayers
144 pages
Dana Ayers works in DC and runs races all the time without necessarily training adequately or getting any better. She tells hilarious stories of her adventures and provides amusing tips for those embarking on the hobby
Verdict: I get burnt out on reading running books that feature amazing athletes, so it's nice to read someone I can relate to a little more.
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
382 pages
The narrator of this text is a communist spy from Vietnam, telling his confession about his time after the fall of Saigon. He travels to the US with the General and reports back to Vietnam on what he observes in America, attempting to develop a life, albeit temporary, for himself. The book raises important questions about identity and loyalty, all through a creative narrative (especially at the end- the last fifty pages or so are super intense).
Verdict: This book was excellent- a sort of Catch-22-esque style with more of a solid plot and better developed characters. We discussed this at book club and could have spent hours talking about so many of the thematic and stylistic attributes.
Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolf
336 pages
Wolf describes Trump's campaign and first 100 days- I plan on doing a post on this soon, so we'll just leave it at this for now. I will say that this was the first book I've ever read electronically and I really did not enjoy it. I'll stick to paper.
978 pages
I absolutely adore The Awakening and I read it every few years too. The story is so complex and has so many layers that I discover something new with each re-reading.
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