What I Read: February 2020

I finished a significant number of books (six), given that I mostly felt like I didn't do any reading whatsoever. Guess I must've!

I'm still making my way through two book club books: How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi for my work book club & A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles for my book club with friends.

What are you reading? Give me a follow me on Goodreads and/or let me know where to find you there so we can keep in touch...

The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West
POPSUGAR Prompt: A book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics
Ahhh, Lindy West. What a delight. Shrill was one of my faves of 2016, so I was thrilled when she published a second. The Witches Are Coming is a cultural critique of, well, life & culture in this dumpster fire of an era, written with the "Yes, THAT!" insight for which West is so beloved - paired with her trademark wit, of course. One reviewer says, "Ever since Trump was elected I have felt like I cannot breathe...this book is an oxygen mask" - & that sums up this book for me. ★★★★★

The Miscarriage Map: What To Expect When You Are No Longer Expecting by Sunita Osborn
POPSUGAR Prompt: A book with a map
I obviously didn't plan to read this one - not for a reading challenge, not for anything. How convenient, I guess, that it fit neatly into a POPSUGAR category? For real, though: I don't remember how I learned about this book, but I'm glad I did. Written by a young, down-to-earth psychologist following her own miscarriages - yes, plural - this small, independently published book is a guide, of sorts, to feeling your feelings as you move forward after pregnancy loss. ★★★★★

Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz
POPSUGAR Prompt: A book that passes the Bechdel test
I can't decide how I felt about this book. It was compulsively readable, such that I stayed up late to finish it, but it was also annoyingly predictable (though Goodreads reviewers seem largely to disagree). Kidnapped the summer before her senior year, Jane has returned home, where she's struggling to adjust & to heal. The story flips between now & then, telling the story of her time away as we wait to figure out who kidnapped her - & what happened to the others with whom she was held captive. ★★★☆☆

Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma
POPSUGAR Prompt: A book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement
Before reading this book, I hadn't heard of Haben Girma, a 31-year-old Harvard-trained lawyer & disability rights advocate who is both deaf & blind. Girma, a professional advocate for accessible technology, has climbed glaciers in Alaska, built schools in Mali, & introduced President Obama at the White House. I loved this book highlighting her perseverance, her self-advocacy, & her experiences as a disabled person in a world largely designed for the non-disabled. ★★★★★

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
POPSUGAR Prompt: A book with a bird on the cover
I really enjoyed/was horrified by this book, Reid's debut novel. It tells the stories of Amira, a twentysomething babysitter figuring out her career path, & her employer, Alix, a thirtysomething mom/mogul. When Amira, who is Black, is stopped at a grocery store & accused of kidnapping Alix's daughter, who is white, the incident sets into motion a chain of events that puts tension on their relationship, reveals Alix's (glaring) racial biases, & ultimately sets Amira on her course forward. It is well-written & infuriating & funny & charming & realistic & terrible &... all of the things. You should read it. ★★★★★

Choosing Hope: Moving Forward from Life's Darkest Hours by Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis
POPSUGAR Prompt: A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins (wrath)
I read a few heavy books in February, huh? This memoir was written by a former first-grade teacher in Newtown, CT who made global headlines when she hid 15 students in an impossibly tiny bathroom while a gunman murdered her colleagues & their classmates in the classroom next door. Driven by a passion for education & a love of children, the relentlessly positive Roig-Debellis is now a public speaker & founder of the nonprofit movement Classes 4 Classes. This isn't the best-written book, but it's certainly a moving & important one. ★★★☆☆

Tell me what you're reading, then add me on Goodreads to keep in touch & see what I've read in months past. You can also follow my bookstagram account and subscribe to Book of the Month Club, using my referral link for a discount.

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