May Reviews

I am sitting here right now, looking out my dining room window at the pool water splashed all over our backyard from our first real summer swim and I'm slightly in disbelief that we've made it. Summer. While I'll wax and wane on future posts, I just have to say that the last month has been completely different than the last year and I couldn't be happier. Life was far busier than recent months, but I still got through four books, which seems meager but also impressive, considering how many papers I graded and hours away from home I spent. 

The clear winner of the month for me was Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad, a memoir about a young woman's fight with a rare form of cancer. The beginning of the book is her her experience struggling with the disease, the middle her adjusting to remission, and the final a road trip she takes to meet the people who wrote to her. Beautifully written, emotional, and honest- go buy it.

I also read another memoir, the graphic one, And Now I Spill the Family Secrets by Margaret Kimball, a story about a woman's family history with mental illness. I felt a strong personal connection to this one, since I too had a parent commit suicide when I was young. It was fascinating to see how her family's story unfolded and how she coped with what was going on around her, starting with such a young age. 

Danielle Evans' collection of short stories (and a novella) The Office of Historical Corrections was everything the hype said it would be- rich, well-developed characters, plot lines with quirk and brutal social honesty, and overall cohesiveness.

The only book that really wasn't a win this month was Outlawed by Anna North. I typically feel that Reese Witherspoon's book club is hit-or-miss (probably more misses for me), but this one sounded fun! And there were spots that were really entertaining, but given the subject matter of female reproduction and sexuality, I thought she could have done a much better job of shedding light on her topic. The characters were flat and the plot rushed. 

I CANNOT wait to blog more, read more, sleep more, and get out of the house more! Hopefully I at least double my reading for next month!