The last couple of months have been tough for me healthwise (gallbladder surgery - not contagious!), but on the plus side, spending more time on the sofa has meant more time to read. Since I know that many of your are now hunkered down at home because of coronavirus, I thought I'd share the best books I read and enjoyed late December through mid March:
Fiction
Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Rucculia
Hundreds of high school musicians descend upon an old, remote hotel in a giant snowstorm. What could possibly go wrong?
This book was recommended to me because it was inspired by The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin which I read as part of my Newbery Award Reading Project a few years ago. A little bit mystery, a little horror and romance, lots of humor and pop culture references.
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
A bookstore employee has her life turned upside down when she discovers family members she never knew.
If you're looking for quirky characters, crazy families, random trivia (the main character is on a winning trivia team), small town life, and a sweet love story, this might be your book.
Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey
A non-magic twin is asked to investigate a death at the high school where here magical twin teachers.
Who is lying in this book? And when? And why? A riveting mystery in an unusual setting.
The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz
The author (Anthony) inserts himself into the book as a writer working with a crusty detective in London to solve mysteries and write about them.
I love the mind-bending idea of an author inserting himself into his own fiction. This is the second book in the series; the first is The Word Is Murder. I read them out of order and it was fine.
Non-Fiction
Am I Overthinking This? by Michelle Rial
101 hand-drawn charts illustrating the many issues large and small we all face: Am I eating too much cheese? How do I achieve work-life balance?
Check out the author's Instagram account for more fun drawings.
The Book of Gutsy Women by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton
Brief biographies and photos of inspiring women both modern and historical with familiar names (Helen Keller, Anne Frank, Rosa Parks) as well as less familiar ones (Wangari Maathai, Dolores Huerta).
At 464 pages, this is not a light read. I enjoyed learning about some new women, but I didn't find the personal commentary from the authors added much for me.
Generation Friends by Saul Austerlitz
A behind-the-scenes look at the popular TV show Friends (just in time for the shows 25th anniversary).
Lots of exclusive interviews with those involved in this show from the 1990s make this a fascinating read for any fan.
Laughing Without An Accent by Firoozeh Dumas
Humorous essays about family and community by a Persian woman married to a French man.
This is the sequel to Funny in Farsi. Topics include the experience of having her book translated and taking her extended family on a cruise.
On The Clock by Emily Guendelsberger
A journalist takes a series of low-wage jobs at an Amazon warehouse, a call center, and a McDonalds.
An obvious nod to Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, this was a tough read (how can an employer justify pain reliever vending machines?). I admire the author's candor in reporting the working conditions she encountered.
And Then We Grew Up by Rachel Friedman
A woman asks her former Interlochen camp classmates about their creativity ten years later.
If you've ever wondered what happens to all those kids who attend those fancy art, music, and theatre schools, you might enjoy this book.
Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentio
Long-form essays by a staff writer of The New Yorker.
I especially enjoyed the essays "The I in the Internet," "The Story of a Generation in Seven Scams," and "The Cult of the Difficult Woman."
The Way We All Became The Brady Bunch by Kimberly Potts
A look at how an unpopular TV show became a cult classic for later generations.
I especially enjoyed the parts that talked about casting and show set-up. I found the detailed show summaries of related shows (such as the one about a Brady Bunch-themed X-Files episode) less interesting.
Happy Reading!