Now that the joys of Christmas and the sparkle of a New Year have dulled, we have entered the heart of winter…and flu season. As I currently type this, I am curled up on my couch, littered with Kleenex and cough drop wrappings. Sounds like a glamorous Instagram moment, right?
me right now
(Psst, these are my Connecticut and Rhode Island picks for my Make America Read Again challenge – to read the full list of books this year, click here.)
The heat wave FINALLY broke here in Atlanta (as the handmaids would say, “Praise be”) and I’m embracing my favorite season of the year with ALL THE THINGS. We’ve got baby pumpkins on our coffee table, butternut squash soup is on repeat for our weekly meal plans, and I’m planning a Nora Ephron movie marathon this weekend and a day of leaf-chasing in the mountains.
…But of course, let’s not forget the best part of this season: FALL BOOKS.
October is especially near and dear to me as it is the season of tricks (and treats, because I totally didn’t make it all the way through Whole30…but can you seriously blame me when all the best candy is out in full force right now?!?). I absolutely LOVE mystery books and thrillers. Though I have a bit too much of an active imagination to read true “horror” novels — I avoid books with crazy amounts of gore, especially this month as my husband has had to travel for work for most of October and Lord knows I can’t sleep with all my house lights on for the entire month — I DO enjoy a good page turner or who-dun-it novel. I even wrote my senior thesis on gender issues in the novel Dracula.
I also REALLY love a good book about witches. A couple of weeks ago, I realized I actually had several “witchy” reads on my Make America Read Again list, as well as some mysteries and thrillers. And they all happened to be set in New England, so it’s a perfect time for me to read books set here as this is the time of year when I truly miss my days as a Boston girl. To get us in the holiday spirit, I’ll be having a couple of posts about these books – first up, lets talk about all that hocus pocus.
I realized this weekend that I am incredibly behind on my “Make America Read Again” posts. I have read for about 25 states, yet haven’t reviewed most of them. Mea culpa, y’all! Balancing work and play isn’t always easy, especially when you’re spending the month of October on the whole30 diet and your whole life is meal prep and clean up and label reading…but that’s for another post. Let me start to catch up by reviewing two more Mid-west state books for Ohio and Illinois!
(Psst, this book review is my Massachusetts pick for my Make America Read Again challenge. to read the full list of books this year, click here.)
For those of you who don’t know, my husband is a legit super genius patent lawyer extraordinaire. Not that I am biased or anything.
Charles’ law school graduation
He and I have gone to school together since we were in middle school, and he has always aced every test, paper, quiz, and presentation. He was one of two people in our graduating college class to have a perfect 4.0, and the only one in his major (Chemistry) to accomplish this GPA, considered one of the most difficult programs in the country. He broke the record for the highest Organic Chemistry test scores from our school and won the adoration of our professor (who would write notes on his test like, “You have an incredible future in Chemistry”, smiley face included), and he had only taken that class FOR FUN with me, while I was forced to take it for my pre-med curriculum.
PS: I impressed exactly no one with my Orgo grade, but I got really good at doodling the chemical structure for TNT over and over.
So when he got accepted into Harvard for the Organic Chemistry PhD programs, no one was surprised. What we were surprised to discover, however, was the incredibly toxic and manipulative environment of the department. That’s why this book, Chemistry, by Weike Wang, resonated so deeply with me.
This novel was my Alabama pick for my Make America Read Again challenge. To see the full list, click here).
Y’all ever get a case of the Sunday Scaries? This week it hit me like a Mack Truck; I’m not sure if it was because of my extra-fun Saturday spent in South Carolina, the fact that work has been extra-stressful lately, that I’ve been reading too many “dark” books lately (Charles made me promise that my next read would be “happy” after I spent several days tearing up at virtually everything, and then gave him a summary of the past five books I’ve read, all of which were about less-than-sunny subjects), or that I’m simply in summer mode, but I definitely felt some kind of way when I woke up this Sunday morning…and it wasn’t my normal chipper self but instead, moody and whiny.
Sometimes I really wish I could just be a tour guide all day every day instead of a dentist
SOOO I’m going to make this post short and sweet so I can bury my head in a good (CHEERFUL) book and pretend like I don’t have to spend all day tomorrow staring at teeth ;).
Although I’ve mentioned in previous posts of my love of audiobooks, I also am quite the fan of podcasts on my commute to work, while doing housework, on afternoon walks I take around the neighborhood, etc. Though my subscriptions lean toward the literary, I mix it up with all kinds of different topics. Here are just a few of my many favorites for you to check out!
(I’m not even going to mention some of the more obvious ones, like S-Town or Serial…we all know them, they’re amazing, go listen).
Ok, so this is the newest love on my list, but I’ve also binge-listened to these episodes like a madwoman because the hosts (particularly Annie Jones) are just so dang ENCHANTING. Which makes sense, as her life goal is to be Kathleen Kelly a la “You’ve Got Mail.” Which basically means she and I should be friends because Kathleen Kelly is my fictional idol and mentor. Annie runs a bookstore in Thomasville, GA, called The Bookshelf, and the podcast covers books (obviously), as well as life in the South. She and I are around the same age, both married to men who are heavily interested or involved in politics, and have similar taste in book preferences. Basically, we are the same person, or at least in my mind.
Annie is balanced out with the other host, Chris, who is a PhD student and hilariously sarcastic. They have a lot of fun themes in their podcast, including “Love it or Loathe it” and monthly reading recaps. Check it out if you enjoy a nice mixture of in-depth thematic discussions, tangents on life in the south and pop culture, and interest in the bookseller’s market.
Hosted by Liberty Hardy and Rebecca Schinsky, two of the most prolific readers I’ve ever encountered. They discuss the latest releases each week from the book publishing world, with a special focus on indie booksellers and small print presses. My reading list always grows by another 10 titles with every episode I listen to.
I love this podcast for a multitude of reasons: 1) it focuses on female authors, which as a pageant-loving, mascara-wearing feminist, is my kryptonite 2) the podcast hosts are from Greenville, SC, and Atlanta, GA, both cities that are on my list of places I do (or have) called home, and 3) the book selections are excellent! I love the balance of in depth discussion and off-subject humor these podcasts offer. I feel like I’m curled up in a chair next to these girls chatting over coffee or wine, and I seriously want to be friends with both of them.
This podcast has in-depth interviews with authors, hosted by the delightful Angela Ledgerwood (Australian accent and all!). A writer herself, Angela knows all the incisive and perceptive questions to ask her guests. To be honest though, mostly I’m just mesmerized by her voice. Think of this as a literary version of NPR’s Fresh Air.
**Note: occasionally discusses adult/explicit themes and passages in books as well as occasional crass language**
Radiolab
Love love LOVE me some Radiolab! Investigation in a different topic every week that centers around one central idea and unfolds the story around sounds and episodic vignettes, where science and culture and art all combine. They have an excellent episode on Henrietta Lacks, as well as “Juicervose” – a story about a family and their autistic son, and his journey from an isolated child to a communicating member of society (all the emotions).
…Anything NPR
This American Life (for the story-lovers) , Fresh Air (for those who love a good interview), Invisibilia (for the science-minded), TED radio hour. (for those obsessed with self-improvement)… you name it, I probably listen to it.
I love this podcast because it brings together people of opposing and differing viewpoints and worldviews. Instead of obnoxious punditry like we get on cable news, these discussions are more about listening to each other than arguing.
**Note: at times explicit**
Five minute soundbites of the latest in news for a quick rundown after a long day at work.
They talk about everything from celebrity news to emojis to Disney princesses. This is a fairly new one for me, but I’m already into it.
“A podcast about the internet.” This is another one introduced to me a few weeks ago, but it’s quickly becoming one of my top 5 podcasts. Alex Blumberg gets informed on the internet trends of the week, because he usually doesn’t have a clue. I loved the episode on #Covfefe.
My fellow Alabama Junior Miss sister and friend Mary Catherine hosts this hilarious podcast with her husband as they unpack all the drama from the latest Bachelorette episodes. To be honest, I don’t even watch the Bachelorette anymore…and yet I listen to this podcast because of its wit, humor, and legit in-depth analysis of the most ridiculous reality show of our generation. Check it out on her blog Deep Hunger, Deep Gladness (her blog is excellent too if you want to get sucked into a rabbit hole for the next four hours of delightful writing).
….my ultimate guilty pleasure, as I always have nightmares the night after listening to one of these shows. Some girls watch The Real Housewives, this girl listens to crime and mystery podcasts…
Two VERY west-coast girls talk about all the crazy murders and serial killers and mysteries, while also making you laugh out loud. People also phone or email in their hometown murder stories. It’s comedy, it’s gore, it’s Valley girl accents…what more could you want?
**explicit because, duh, murder. But also lots of crass language.**
REALLY in-depth research into some scary crimes. The latest on the Original Night Stalker has been giving me nightmares all week. BUT I CANT STOP LISTENING. Another creeptastic episode series was The Moors Murders (as in the English Moors a la Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”).
This one has more of a historical bent to it, and some non-scary stories (ex: an episode on the origins of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer), but they also had a fascinating episode on Jack the Ripper I really enjoyed. They cover everything from unexplained disappearances to petty crimes to serial killers.
Uplifting stuff, right? Don’t judge me.
Anyway, HAPPY LISTENING you guys!
This weekend I’ve been reading a road trip story called The Last Days of California by Mary Miller. Although so far it’s been a fun rollicking story to read, this post is not a book review.
Instead, it’s about my own road-trip story. Reading the book has reminded me of all the adventures from that trip, though one rather creepy encounter sticks out the most.
This week was not exactly a stellar start to the summer, now was it? Between the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and yesterday’s London attacks, the world isn’t looking so sunny. I’m currently bed-ridden with a bout of a lovely strep throat/cold combo, and although usually I enjoy any excuse to read all day in bed, it’s been more difficult to concentrate on any book of depth while nursing a fever, aching limbs, and grieving and angry for a city I was lucky enough to call (for a short time) my home. Why does this keep happening? What can we do to put a stop to this violence? I’m way too hazy from my cough medicine to answer these questions with any semblance of wisdom, though no one else seems to be able to answer these questions either. The scariest part to me is how each attack becomes less and less shocking – we are becoming desensitized and grow jaded with the well-meaning Facebook flag pictures and the “Praying for London” tweets. I think I’m undergoing a short term version of a funk.
That time in London I was THISCLOSE to the royal princes (Quantum of Solace World Premiere)
Chasing West End celebrities with my fellow study abroaders
Couldn’t resist the tourist pic of Buckingham Palace
“Rich People Problem” books are my go-to for whenever I’m having a rough week, when I just finished a rough semester in school, or whenever I need a palate-cleanser after reading an intense or depressing story. So this weekend I needed something light and frothy, perhaps even downright superficial, to give me a temporary reprieve from the real world. Fortunately, the novel Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (published in 2013) fit at least two of these three characteristics, and took me to a completely different part of the world without having to leave my couch.
The international bestselling novel is the first in a trilogy (the sequel, China Rich Girlfriend, was published in 2015, and the finale Rich People Problems was just released this past month) and centers around 29-year-old Economy professor and ABC (American Born Chinese) Rachel Chu and her dashingly charming boyfriend, Nick Young. Nick is heading back to his home country of Singapore for his best friend’s upcoming nuptials, and he invites Rachel along as part of a summer-long tour of Asia. What Rachel doesn’t know is that her low-key PhD lover is actually a favorite grandson of one of the richest Singapore families…in other words, she’s about to be immersed in the world of some Crazy Rich Asians.
As she is interrogated and judged by various friends and family of the Singapore elite, Rachel begins to question her relationship with Nick and her place in his life. Will they survive the pressure?
At first, I honestly thought I was going to loathe this book. The opening chapters that are narrated by Nick’s more sartorial-focused family members include an endless number of designer brand name-dropping and Michelin-star restaurant references that made me cringe and roll my eyes. There’s a reason why I’ve never been tempted to watch the Kardashian’s or Real Housewives shows; even for me there are limits to how basic I’m willing to go (though I’ll never say no to a SoulCycle class or a glass of bubbly, so I’m still pretty far gone on the Yuppy spectrum).
…eventually though, I realized that the whole point of the book was to gently satirize this culture (although the author himself seems to genuinely love a good Gucci loafer, as much as he talks about them in the book). I blame the cough-medicine-induced haze on my delayed reading comprehension. Then I started really enjoying myself and got immersed in the world of Asian elite society, the clash between Mainland Chinese and Overseas Chinese, as well as the New Money versus Old Money tensions that are scarily similar to American society except on a grander scale – in Kwan’s depiction of Singapore, those that make a mere four million a year are absolute paupers.
I also surprisingly found myself gleaning little tiny peeks into Singapore and Chinese culture – the rituals and traditions, the mouth-watering cuisine that sounds like a mix of Indian, Asian, and European cuisine (I have been craving satay and coconut rice and laksa and chili crab for several days now, as well as many other dishes that I don’t even fully understand). Also, did you know that Singapore actually gives dividends to its citizens when the economy is doing well? This island, and really this area of the world, holds so many secrets I was completely unaware of until this book. Unsurprisingly, I am now desperate to plan a trip to this part of the world.
At its heart, this novel is a rom-com, albeit one sprinkled with designer dress names and private-jet trips to Indonesia and Australia. I do think Mr. Kwan brings a perceptive eye to this genre, so if you’re looking for a fun summer read with hints of character development and sly humor, while understanding that this book is definitely NOT going to change your life, this is a good pick. It will definitely make you smile on those rough days, if also feel a bit gross about how materialistic we all are.
Y’all, this upcoming holiday weekend marks the official start to BEACH SEASON!!! Summer is seriously my favorite time of year, and now that I’m finally living in the South again I am fully basking in the sweltering hot afternoons and blazing sun (with my liberal application of sunscreen, of course). Atlanta has been experiencing summer weather for over a month now, and I’ve got no complaints with keeping my car windows and sunroof open. Though my fellow commuters might, as they’ve had to hear my off-key rendition of the Hamilton songs as we all sit in gridlocked traffic.
Though perhaps not everyone is hitting the sand this upcoming long weekend, we can all benefit from some R and R – and by that I mean Reading and more Reading.
Because I’m a typical “type A” kind of girl, I love setting goals. I recently watched a TED talk about a blogger who read a book from every country in the world in one year. ONE YEAR, people. That’s almost 200 books. Color me impressed. And also inspired. How can a self-proclaimed travel addict and bibliophile like myself have lived nearly three decades without reading or visiting the majority of the world?!? Unacceptable.
Now, due to my current full-time work schedule (ugh, cavities, what a drag) and life, reading that many books in a year is more than a little overwhelming. Besides, I have a hard time limiting myself to a specific list of books and not having room for new release titles or advanced copies I’m given from publishers that I want to binge on immediately.
So instead, I decided to go all patriotic on y’all and limit my list to America the Beautiful.
Green Gables State of Mind 