I cannot believe it’s already mid-August and kids are back in school and it’s almost time for football. Time is a crazy thing. My weekend was pretty great, as it was fairly low-key. I needed that because my upcoming week is going to be busy, busy and the weekend even more so. I got in some reading time at the pool, lots of naps, and a pedicure date with my mom.
Last week, I finished two books and really loved both of them. Reviews below!
Books Finished
Title: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
Author: J.D. Vance
Published: 2016
Format: Library hardcover
Rating: ★★★★★
Plot Summary: A memoir about a man who grew up poor in Appalachia, but manages to escape the cycle of poverty to become an Ivy League-educated lawyer.
My Thoughts: I loved, loved, loved this memoir. Maybe it’s because I read it two years after the election and approached it solely as a memoir, not as a commentary on the state of the working-class society and why so many of them voted for Trump. This is simply J.D.’s experience growing up poor, with a revolving door of fathers and a mother who struggled with addiction. And it was a story I could relate to all too well. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of quotes that resonated with me, and it really made me stop and reflect on my own childhood and how growing up poor and in a volatile home environment affects me even now. (In fact, I’m planning on writing more about this on Wednesday, so stay tuned for that.) This is a book I would wholly recommend, but with a word of caution: don’t think about this as social commentary. Don’t think you’re going to “get into the minds of Trump supporters” with this book. Instead, approach it as a memoir and to expand your worldview of what it’s really like to grow up poor in middle America.
Title: Wicked and the Wallflower
Author: Sarah MacLean
Published: 2018
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★★★☆
Plot Summary: Lady Felicity must land a husband, and when a mysterious stranger named Devil promises her he can help her with this mission, she accepts on one condition: she won’t be satisfied with a marriage without passion.
My Thoughts: New Sarah MacLean! New Sarah MacLean! This book starts her brand-new Bareknuckle Bastards series, which looks to be totally fun. In this first book, we follow Devil who reigns over Covent Garden, a place that ladies such as Felicity should never be. From the get-go, I was captivated by both Felicity and Devil (gotta admit, the way he wielded his walking stick was pretty hot!) and rooting for them. They were both completely stubborn and completely right for one another. Like most MacLean novels, I wished this one was a bit shorter (400+ page romance novels are not my jam), but I was still so happy every time I opened my Kindle to read this book and cannot wait for the next one to be released.
What I’m Reading This Week
- Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson – I’m about 100 pages into this slim volume, and it’s been so eye-opening. I didn’t realize it would actually be written like a sermon, but it is and I love it.
- Never, Never: Part Two by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher – I read Part One two weeks ago and immediately requested Part Two from my library, which I picked up this weekend.
- Beartown by Fredrik Backman – You guys, it’s time. IT IS TIME. I have put off reading this novel for reasons I don’t even understand. Maybe because I’m worried it won’t live up to the hype. Maybe because I know how much I’m going to love this book and want to savor the anticipation. For whatever reason, I have put off reading this book and I’m stopping that nonsense this week. It’s time for me and Beartown to get acquainted.
What are you reading this week?
I hope you love Beartown and that it wasn’t too overhyped! It is such a great read. I read the 2nd book in the series last month and will say I felt kind of ‘meh’ about it. So I’d stop after Beartown. But it is a fantastic book.
I also loved Hillbilly Elegy because I went into it with the same expectations – that it was his personal story and not meant to explain the outcome of the 2016 election. He even says that in the foreword. But people still expected it to be a social commentary and were disappointed as a result.
Last night I finished “Educated.” It was tough to read that after reading “The Sound of Gravel.” Back-to-back books about messed up, extremist Mormon families was a bit much but I really wanted to read both books and they became available at the same time. I gave both 5 stars. Now I’m starting “The Handmaid’s Tale” which is my book club’s book for August. I read this for a course when I was studying abroad and HATED it. But I was 21 and might have been too young to appreciate the message in the book? We’ll see.
Oh, that is so interesting that you didn’t enjoy Us Against You! I feel like most of the reviews I’ve been reading say it’s better than Beartown! I’m pretty sure I’ll read the sequel, so I’ll have to see what I think! Funny how stories can read so differently from person to person.
I really hope you love The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s definitely the sort of story I don’t think I could have appreciated in college. I read it right after the election, which probably has something to do with why I loved it so much, haha. You’re going to need something fun and light-hearted after three heavy books in a row!
I’m sure I’ll like Beartown, only because I loved the other Bachman book I read, but for whatever reason, I just, like… have no interest in trying it? I’m sure that once I do, I’ll be like, “WHAT WAS I THINKING?!” Looking forward to your review.
Haha – maybe it’s the hockey aspect that’s throwing you off? I know that’s why most people aren’t interested in reading it. I definitely feel like I’m going to have a “why did I wait so long to read this book?!” moment!
I love seeing what others are reading and adding to my TBR list as I go.
I’m currently reading “Chaos” by Patricia Cornwell as well as “On a beautiful day” by Lucy Diamond.
I haven’t heard of either of those books! I’ll have to look them up.
The only problem I have with hillbilly elegy is exactly what you said: people call it a picture of what it’s like to be poor in America. That’s not entirely accurate. It’s about what it’s like to be a poor, WHITE MALE in America. He makes it seem like he got out of poverty entirely on his own merit, without ever acknowledging that his story would have been WAY different if he hadn’t been a white man.
So, I guess I see it differently because I read it solely as a memoir, which means it’s about HIS life, so why wouldn’t he talk about what it’s like to be a poor white male in America? Would it have been good for him to acknowledge how much differently things would have turned out if he had been a black man? Sure. I think he definitely benefited from some systems that aren’t available to black people (i.e., the amount of times he was able to trust that the police would actually help him). But still, when I look at this as a memoir (which is what it’s marketed as), then I can’t take issue with him only talking about his experience as a white male. I don’t ask for the same things from my other memoirs (like right now, as I’m reading a book from a white female comedian… I’m not appalled that she hasn’t talked about how much easier her path has been because she’s not a black female comedian), so it feels a little disingenuous to expect it from this one. And I guess it was just that I could wholly relate to J.D.’s experience that made it such an impactful read for me. That said, I think it’s important to balance a book like this with books from black writers, which is what I try very hard to do. And I hope you are as well!
You already know how I feel about Beartown. That book…ugh I love it so much. It was the first book I read in 2016 and it’s still with me. I love everything about it.
That’s amazing! I love how much love people have for Beartown. I hope I love it just as much (and I have a sneaking suspicion I will!)