Tiny book reviews, 2021
November - December 2021
★★★★★ Felicity, Mary Oliver.
Sweet and, in moments, searing. If you haven’t been initiated, this little volume of poems is a great place to start with Mary Oliver. I especially loved “Don’t Worry,” “Roses,” “The World I Live In,'“ and “I Did Think, Let’s Go About This Slowly.”
★★★★★ Wholehearted Faith, Rachel Held Evans.
Rachel Held Evans died at age 37 in 2019. Wholehearted Faith was published posthumously from her notes, blog, and book in progress. It’s a moving testimony of Christian faith, doubt, and, most of all, love. Held Evans lived and wrote with humor, earnestness, humility, and an inclusive spirit. If you can’t tell, I’m a fan. I recommend the audio, which was read by an all-star cast of progressive Christians. See also: “The Afterlife of Rachel Held Evans”, New Yorker. 🎧
★★★★★ Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, Katherine May.
This book was a NYT bestseller in 2020. I waited until the cold months returned to read it, and I highly recommend enjoying it “in season.” Part nature writing, part personal memoir, and part travelogue, May takes readers to some of the coldest environs in the world. There, she considers winter’s place in the life cycle, its symbolism, and what that can mean on a personal level. This book is sincere, accessible, curious, and, for me at least, just the right amount of woo.
★★★★ Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, Diana Gabaldon.
This is book 9 in the Outlander series. Like all Outlander books, it’s quite long, and the familiar cast of characters kept me company for nearly 6 weeks. Though this installment isn’t as sexy as the earlier books, it was thoroughly cozy. Returning to Fraser’s Ridge felt like a warm family reunion. I especially enjoyed the arc of Roger’s ordination and his military chaplaincy, as well as the adult sibling relationship between Brianna and William. Claire and Jamie are perfect, as usual. All in all, this book was a much-needed hug at the end of a hard year.
★★★★ Trick Mirror, Jia Tolentino.
This essay collection is smart, modern, and funny. I particularly enjoyed the essays on technology, which marry theory to pop culture adeptly. My favorite essay, however, was “Pure Heroines,” which considers generations of literary heroines—and what it means to be a woman who was a girl who was their friend. It’s is an absolute delight. There is also a tough but honest essay on UVA (Tolentino’s and my alma mater), “We Come From Old Virginia.” I listened on audio, which was a good choice. 🎧
★★★ No Cure for Being Human, Kate Bowler.
3.5 stars. I’m torn on the star rating for this book. I liked it, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations. (Several folks I respect LOVED it, so my hopes were very high). I do appreciate Bowler’s project: dismantling self-improvement tropes, one chapter at a time. I especially admire how she accomplished this feat with both precision and tenderness. There isn’t an ounce of condescension to be found. I think it works well because she writes from the heart and from the difficulty of her own journey. Though I wouldn’t quite call this a memoir, it does look closely at Bowler’s (second, terminal) bout with cancer. Be forewarned, this book will make you cry. 🎧
October 2021
★★★★★ My Monticello, Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
Set in Charlottesville and emotionally close to the Unite the Right violence of 2017, My Monticello left me feeling raw. The book is a collection of several short stories and the title novella—a tale of the dystopian near-future, in which descendants of Sally Hemings take refuge at Monticello. The entire collection is thought-provoking, full of heart, and disquieting. Congrats to C’ville author Jocelyn Nicole Johnson on her hit debut.
★★★★★ Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris
On two separate occasions last month, friends raved about this book—over 20 years after it was published. I knew the time had finally come for me to catch up. As promised, it’s hilarious. Picture me cackling my way around town as I listened to this on audio. Oh, to be a Sedaris! It’s hard to pick favorites, but these essays were over the top: “Nutcracker.com,” “I’ll Eat What He’s Wearing,” “Bend Over and Say Ah,” and “Poems About Dogs.” 🎧
★★★★ A Thousand Ships, Natalie Haynes
This book meanders through the Greek epics, juxtaposing the gods’ casual cruelty against horrific human brutality—all through the eyes of the women who suffered the Trojan war. I loved the tapestry of female protagonists, particularly Calliope, whose story set the purpose of the entire project. However, the book’s structure was complicated, jumping as it did across space and time. This bothered me some, but I think that’s the point. It’s a mode of telling designed to honor the fragmented nature of women’s stories.
★★★★ Rules of Civility, Amor Towles
3.5 stars. This book has been on my list for a long time, and I loved the author’s later novel, A Gentleman in Moscow. While I enjoyed this romp through 1930s New York City, it didn’t have either the weight or the intrigue that made the other book special. I felt a little disappointed by the comparison, but I’m still eager to read Towles’s recent release, The Lincoln Highway.
★★★ The Hummingbird’s Gift, Sy Montgomery
This tiny book is the story of two newborn hummingbird orphans and their keeper. It has plenty of drama and personality, and as usual Sy Montgomery’s sensitivity to animals makes for a sweet read.
September 2021
★★★★★ Bartleby the Scrivener & Benito Cereno, Herman Melville
These are two classic novellas, and neither is an easy read. I was familiar with Bartleby from graduate school, where I came to love it. It’s a story of isolation and polite (?) resistance against capitalism, work, and alienation—with an unforgettable catchphrase.
Benito Cereno is a gripping, high adventure of misperception. The story raises eyebrows at the archetypal American hero, and I appreciate that. Readers should know that this novella takes place on a slave ship, portrays racist attitudes and anti-Semitism, and is a violent tale. I needed some help to make sense of it through 21st century eyes. If you do too, I recommend: Obama, Melville, and the Tea Party; and “I’m the Captain Now”: Power, Justice, and Tragedy in Benito Cereno and Captain Phillips.
★★★★ Against White Feminism, Rafia Zakaria
This book is hot in social justice circles, and I can see why. Zakaria deconstructs the epistomology and legacy of white feminist movements—and calls readers into a more inclusive, more grassroots, and more effective way. It was hard to hear some of her criticisms, and I continue to work through them. In her conclusion, Zakaria notes that it is difficult and essential for feminists to sort out what is “genuinely part of the scaffolding of systemic racism.” That’s why discomfort like mine is just fine. It prompts us to look under the hood at the ideas, strategies, and institutions we inherit. It pushes us into more honest debate. And that can be transformative. 🎧
★★★★ Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman
Burkeman wisely calls for an end to manic productivity. Better yet, he explores why this is difficult—for reasons that range from practical, to systemic, to existential. Yes, please! I particularly appreciate how this book pushed my thinking on rest, patience, and individualism. In addition, it’s a fantastic lit review. One frustration, though: I wish Burkeman gave nontraditional spiritualies more serious consideration. I’m sensitive to this, I admit, but sometimes (particularly in “You Are Here”) his tone borders on dismissive.
★★★ The Lost Apothecary, Sarah Penner.
This book is pleasant, it has a good premise, and I like the way Penner tangles two very different timelines. For me the perfect novel is heavily thematic and moves at a good pace. This one checks both boxes, but isn’t outstanding at either.
July-August 2021
★★★★★ See No Stranger, A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love, Valarie Kaur
This book goes into my canon for faith-forward social justice. Kaur, a Sikh American, offers a framework for change that is both rooted in her tradition and experiences, and welcoming to all. She speaks a truth that I trust and that challenges me. Every chapter is a revelation.
★★★★ How Music Works, David Byrne
I liked this book, except when I didn’t—and for that reason it took me nearly a year to finish it. For better or for worse, Byrne covers a huge range of topics. My brain leapt at the chapters on collaboration, creative process, neuroscience, and culture/policy. However, I found the technical sections boring—not because the writing was bad, but because I needed something more remedial. My guess is that most readers will have both “this is fascinating” and “snoozefest” moments with this title, depending on their background and interests. Sill, the book itself is an impressive feat. 🎧
★★★★ Transcendent Kingdom, Yaa Gyasi
This book does not quite live up to Homegoing, but I loved it anyway. It pulled me in quickly and kept me close. I especially loved the thematic juxtaposition of faith and science, and Gyasi’s exploration of how it feels to inhabit the liminal space between them.
★★★ The Book of Longings, Sue Monk Kidd
I enjoy fictional takes on Biblical figures, especially those that center women. So, I had high hopes for this novel, which imagines the life, struggles, and ambitions of Jesus’s wife (whom Kidd names Ana). In the end, I enjoyed reading this book, but it didn’t light much of a fire in me or leave me with interesting questions. I much preferred The Secret Magdalene, by Ki Longfellow.
★★★ Mrs. March, Virginia Feito
This was a solid psychological thriller. I saw the end coming, but I could never have imagined such a chilling final scene. It left me feeling icky and disturbed, so I guess Feito did her job well.
★★ Billy Summers, Stephen King
Stephen King fan here.🙋🏼♀️ He always brings the hooks, and I did gobble this up. However, the book feels hastily written (and poorly edited). Also, call me crazy, but I prefer my King tales to have a supernatural element. Sadly, this one is set in reality.
June 2021
★★★★★ No One Is Talking About This, Patricia Lockwood
Gorgeous prose, eerie and heartbreaking plot, and spot-on speculative realism. I absolutely loved this book’s thematic tussle between nihilism and the idea that everything—every. single. thing— is sacred. Lockwood made my breath hitch, page after page.
★★★★ Boom Town, Sam Anderson
This book deserves its hype for being a fascinating tale of the city you never knew you wanted to know about. Anderson weaves the historical story with NBA commentary, and somehow the structure works. To convey the city’s complicated ethos, he covers tremendous range, from the land run to tornadoes, to the bombing, to the Thunder, to Wayne Coyne, and everything in between—including a hard look at the history of racism in OKC. The last section on the trauma of the bombing and several devastating tornadoes is particularly gripping and sad. 🎧
★★★★ The Color of Magic, Terry Pratchett
WTF just happened in this book? It got weirder with every page, and, whenever I got a handle on things, the story and setting would transform. This was world building as extreme sport, and slippery as hell. I loved it. A wild ride, and funny!
★★★★ Minor Feelings, Cathy Park Hong
I expected this to be traditional memoir, so it took me a little while to get on pace with this book. It was challenging, and I’m glad. Each essay required me to engage deeply with complexities of the author's experiences. I particularly liked the deconstruction of innocence-as-purity in "The End of White Innocence" and the intersectional methodology for writing (and, I believe, all work) that emerges in "Bad English."
★★★ Dearly, Margaret Atwood
This review feels blasphemous because...Margaret Atwood. However, I did not particularly connect with this book of poems. It read like Atwood was trying very hard to be Poetic. A few stood out, though. I did enjoy "Passports," "Walking in the Madman's Woods," "Sorcerer's Apprentice," and "The Twilight of the Gods."
May 2021
★★★★★ What It Is, Lynda Barry
This book is art class meets drunken philosophy discussion meets Richard Scarry. I have never read anything quite like it. Every page is a rich feast for the mind and the eyes, and edifying. I finished feeling extremely determined to get waaaaay freakier with my work.
★★★★ Make Your Art No Matter What, Beth Pickens
This book is an excellent DIY coaching resource for creatives. It covers everything from mindset to money, from community to isolation, from fear to time, and more. Pickens’s death-positive framework provides artists, writers, and other makers a loving push do whatever we can to get our work into the world. Go for it, folks! Life is short. 🎧
★★★★ A World Without Email, Cal Newport
This book gets 5 stars for management content. Organizations that wrestle with these ideas will be stronger and will build competitive advantage. I’m convinced. However, the reading experience itself was tedious, so I knocked my rating down to 4 stars. (Yes, I want to have my cake and eat it too. Apologies to academic writers everywhere.)
April 2021
★★★★★ Thick: And Other Essays, Tressie McMillan Cottom
Every essay in this collection opened my eyes to something new (to me) about the experience of being Black (and a Black woman) in the United States. I’m grateful. My favorite was "In the Name of Beauty," which has me seeing everyone I encounter in a fresh light. It absolutely pulled me up short, and I can't stop thinking about it. Bonus: This book is a great pick for audio. 🎧
★★★★ Brag Better: Master the Art of Fearless Self-Promotion, Meredith Fineman
This book unearthed A LOT of resistance inside me, and it has me churning around what I really want from my career, and why. I appreciate it for exactly that. The author shares a ton of practical PR wisdom as well, for readers who are ready to run with it.
★★★★ Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage, Anne Lamott
Help, thanks, and wow to Anne Lamott. This book read like a frothy latte for my spirit — by turns hilarious, heartbreaking, and soothing.
★★★★ Libertie: A Novel, Kaitlyn Greenidge
I really enjoyed this novel—a thematic story of freedom within nations, religions, relationships, and the self. The story held me, and I read it quickly. I expect it to stick with me.
★★★ A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas
Solid vacation read for fantasy fans.
★★★ Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit
I listened to this on audio, which was a mistake. Perhaps a hard copy would have made a stronger impression? I’m not sure. This book did not significantly deepen my feminism. However, it did make me resolve to finally tackle Virginia Woolf. 🎧
March 2021
★★★★★ Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Isabel Wilkerson
This book helped me understand how caste hierarchies take shape in modern American culture, as well as in other cultures and across history. Wilkerson has called me into deeper awareness of how ordinary people are poisoned by the toxic structures of caste—and how I might resist that. The entire book is beautifully written, heartbreaking, and impactful on both intellect and emotions. (Shout-out to my book group who read and discussed this text with me over 2 months, section by section.)
★★★★★ We Should All Be Feminists, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Naturally! This book offers a window into the experiences of Nigerian women, and it has nuanced the way I will use “human rights” language. I highly recommend this for audiobook format. It is brief, the author narrates, and she has a beautiful voice. 🎧
★★★★ The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse, Charlie Mackesy
This book is sweetness itself, made extra special because my sister gifted it to me to encourage my creative writing. (Thanks, M!) I love the handwritten font and Mackesy’s style of gentle, under-polished sketching. In the words of the author, this story is for people ages 8 - 88.
★★★★ Vesper Flights, Helen MacDonald
This book of essays uses plain language, arranged powerfully, to explore our relationship to nature and each other. Bird watchers in particular (from backyard rookie to seasoned pro) will find much to love here. It is hard to choose favorites, but I especially loved “Nothing Like a Pig,” “The Human Flock,” “Eclipse,” “In Her Orbit,” and the titular “Vesper Flights.”
★★★★ Who Is Maud Dixon?, Alexandra Andrews
This is a new release that lives up the hype as a riveting thriller with the writerly life at its core. I wish I had saved it for my vacation next week! It kept me up until 2am reading, and I was wired for an hour after turning the last page. At one point, I even rose in a panic to check a mysterious noise in my own house. (It was the ice maker. 🙄)
★★★ The Practice: Shipping Creative Work, Seth Godin
I respect Seth Godin’s success as a blogger and creative professional, and I trust that he knows those businesses as well as anyone. However, I don’t love his writing at book-length. As much as I hate to say it, this one gets a 4 for solid thinking, but a 2 for holding my attention.
February
This month I’ve been reading a ton about work and creativity—so much so, in fact, that my intake feels imbalanced. BUT there is good stuff in here, so have at it!
★★★★★ The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams
I have already written about this in my newsletter, but that barely scratches the surface of what this book contains. Every chapter is full of wisdom that is somehow both formidable and accessible, and the meditation offerings at the end are a fantastic collection. These ideas have been a particularly meaningful anchor in the midst of so much COVID suffering.
★★★★★ Letters to a Young Poet, Ranier Marie Rilke
Just gorgeous. I borrowed the ebook from my local library, and I loved it so much that I purchased a hard copy. A classic for a reason.
★★★★ It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, Jason Fried
This one gets a little “rah-rah Basecamp,” but the management principles offered are important updates to the status quo. In addition, I have a ton of respect for Basecamp leaders’ commitment to growing with intention. 🎧
★★★★ Show Your Work, Austin Kleon
★★★ Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon
★★★ Keep Going, Austin Kleon
Austin Kleon’s trilogy on creativity contains good advice that is fun to read. The middle installment (Show Your Work) was my favorite, likely because it spoke most clearly to where I am in my creative arc.
★★★ The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas With Pictures, Dan Roam
This book was interesting, and I learned some new frameworks for problem solving. But for a book about drawing it was surprisingly bland.
★★★ Bring on the Blessings, Beverly Jenkins
This book was like a tall glass of sweet tea, or a Hallmark movie—with the added bonus of a 600-pound murderous hog. I enjoyed it.
★★★ Digital Minimalism: Choosing Focused Life in a Noisy World, Cal Newport
I appreciate Newport’s intent and especially valued his explorations of historical sources for a digital minimalist philosophy. However, the book is overly prescriptive, and IMO it could have been much shorter.
January
★★★★★ Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Absolutely terrifying. I loved this novel and couldn’t put it down.
★★★★ The Chosen, Chaim Potek
This took me into another world—WW II era Jewish Brooklyn—and I am so grateful for the experience. It is a beautiful story of two young men’s coming of age, their father-son relationships, and spiritual friendship. I only marked it 4 stars because there are absolutely no female characters, and I kept wondering what what happening for the women. In some ways, however, that is appropriate for the story — so maybe I’m being too harsh. If you read it, let me know what you think.
★★★★ Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art, Stephen Nachmanovitch
I listened to this on audiobook, and it was very engaging — but I wish I had read a hard copy so I could savor it, take notes, and take my time. It is full of wisdom around how to cultivate fertile ground for creativity and improvisation, and why that matters. I recommend it strongly to creatives of all stripes. 🎧
★★★★ Ordinary Genius: A Guide for the Poet Within
I enjoy writing poetry, and this book helped me step into that with more confidence. It also gave me a framework for craft and more fortitude for the work of getting better. Recommend for poets.
★★★ The Power of Ritual: How to Create Meaning and Connection in Everything You Do, Casper Ter Kuile
I love Casper Ter Kuile’s work, most notably his delightful podcast with Vanessa Zoltan, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. This book is fantastic, but introductory. I’m glad it exists, and I do recommend.
★★★ Very Important People: Status and Beauty in the Global Party Circuit, Ashley Mears
By turns interesting and infuriating, this anthropological report took me into an elite world I had only imagined. I enjoyed the ride and learning about the special economy that operates behind velvet ropes. However, the stories of flagrant waste and superficial values eventually wore me down. I’m not sure what to do with them, other than shake my fist at capitalism’s excess and inequality.
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