Happy Monday, friends! I’m feeling happy and hopeful this morning because my laptop will be fixed this week! YAY! It has been two very long weeks and I will be so grateful to have my laptop back in working order.
Last week, I finished three books, breaking my streak of reading four books a week. Ah, well! Three is okay, I guess. 😉 Here are my reviews!
Books Finished
The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esme Weijun Wang (★★★★☆)
One-sentence synopsis: In this essay collection, Esme Weijun Wang provides insight into her schizoaffective diagnosis and her mental illness struggle as a whole.
This was such a beautiful essay collection! Esme has a distinct voice and a gorgeous way with words. I appreciated her honesty in discussing her mental health struggles, schizoaffective diagnosis, psychotic episodes, and more. I found the entire book fascinating and easy to read, even if the subject matter was a dark and difficult one. But Esme infuses her writing with warmth and a sense of hope. One of the more interesting discussions in this book was when she talked about watching TV shows and movies, and how difficult those mediums can be when she’s going through psychosis. She tells a story of watching a TV show with her husband and her husband having to explain the basics of how these shows work (i.e., these are real people who are playing a part, the show is taking place in another city, etc.) because she was in such a place of unreality that her mind couldn’t distinguish between real and fake. Another story was about a period when she believed she was dead and was living in an alternate reality. The mind is an amazingly fragile thing, and I have so much empathy for those who have a mind that’s hard to trust with reality.
Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay (★★☆☆☆)
One-sentence synopsis: Samantha Moore is given an extraordinary opportunity—a full scholarship to attend graduate school—with the stipulation that she send regular letters about her progress to her benefactor, Mr. Knightley.
This book was one of those “just ok” reads. I always have trouble with characters who are obsessed with Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters because I just can’t relate, and Sam was particularly tiresome about it. I also struggled with her characterization, as it seemed fairly inconsistent—on the one hand, she was incredibly naive but on the other, she had grown up in the foster care system and spent time living on the streets. And finally, I also had a hard time believing that Sam would be so open and honest with Mr. Knightley (talking about dating and sex, even!)—it just didn’t make sense that she would give him so many intimate details about her life. All that said, there were parts of this novel I enjoyed, especially Sam’s relationship with a foster kid living in the group home she grew up in and the way she struggled as a journalism student (I was glad she wasn’t suddenly the most perfect journalism student ever). It’s a novel that Austen fans will enjoy, I think, but just didn’t totally work for me.
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown (★★★★☆)
One-sentence synopsis: Writer Austin Channing Brown discusses growing up as a Black girl in majority-white schools, working in majority-white companies, and coming to terms with racial inequalities and racial justice through it all.
Like most people these days, I am trying to consume more books by and about BIPOC. I bought a copy of this memoir a while back, and I was happy to pluck it off my shelves to read it. Austin writes eloquently and honestly about her experiences as a Black woman as she has navigated mostly-white spaces and has had to deal with microaggressions, implicit biases, and plain racism throughout it all. It’s a short book—under 190 pages—so I think it’s a great introduction for those looking to understand race from a Black woman’s perspective.
What I’m Reading This Week
- Hum If You Don’t Know the Words by Bianca Marais – I have about five hours left in this audiobook and it’s been such an eye-opening read since it takes place during apartheid in South Africa.
- The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa – I’m nearly finished with this romance, less than 100 pages to go. It’s likely to be a 3-star read. I’m enjoying it, but it’s not blowing me away by any means.
- The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller – I’ll start this book next! I need something light and fun right now, and I think this book will fit the bill.
What are you reading?
I’m reading “The City Baker’s Guide” right now! It’s so good! It’s very light and cozy which is just what I need after a series of heavier books. Glad you are enjoying “Hum If you Don’t Know the Words” – another book by that author is waiting for me at the library. I need to make time to go over there this week to pick it up. That book definitely made me think.
I was going to download White Fragility next – it’s one of several books my library has made instantly available to anyone who wants to read it. Now sure how they do that? Maybe they are paying extra for all the downloads or something? But it’s very cool that they are doing this. But I think I need to own the physical copy so I can make notes/hightlight/read it very thoroughly. So I need to order that soon.