Reading Wrap Up: August 2020

Welcome to the August edition of, My Reading Wrap Up! 

After a very busy reading month in July, August has been a lot slower for me. But that’s okay! I’ve come to accept that my reading style ebbs and flows. I no longer panic when I haven’t picked up a book in three days.

This month was all about library books! For some reason, all of my library holds decided to come through this month so I basically read based on when books were due back. It got to the point where I had to send some books back (my library allows you to extend your hold) because way too many were ready at the same time.

August was also the month when I started audiobooks! I have never tried an audiobook before but I’ve read/listened to two this month (with a third in progress) and I am enjoying them. The reading is slower, but I like having a story to drop into during my walks with Ellie or while doing the dishes. So far, I’ve just been listening to non-fiction books as I think they’re easier to follow, but I might try a fiction one in the future. Plus, it’s so awesome when the audiobooks are read by their authors!

This month also included some reading dates with Colin, who now has a Kobo e-reader of his own. We headed down to the beach a couple of times to read together, which was really nice. And I did DNF (did not finish) a book this month. I just couldn’t get through Real Men Knit but if you’ve read it and loved it, let me know and I might be convinced to try it again.

All right, let’s get to the books!

American Prison by Shane Bauer

History, 351 pages, published 2018

“…he could have more men under his control, still driven by the whip, than anyone in Louisiana ever did during slavery. The whole prison system could be run as a business. And it would all be for him.”

Shane Bauer is an undercover reporter working at a private prison in Louisiana in 2014. In this book, he details life inside the prison as well as the history of private prisons in America in alternating chapters. As you would expect, the legacy of private prisons and the atrocities on the inside today are horrific and eye-opening. It was shocking to me how blatantly humanity was traded for profit. While the history was interesting, the stories inside the prison were more engaging, which made the history chapters a little dull. I thought this book was excellent and a great read. I think it is important to note that Shane is a white man who worked in a largely Black prison, so lacks some perspective there. I also think because this book is focused on private prisons, it sometimes sounds like public prisons are okay by comparison, which can be dangerous thinking.

TW: sexual violence, torture

Rating: 4/5

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Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Fiction (romance), 369 pages, published 2019

“You are a woman who, in a life filled with pain, came here to ask about love.” – Grandma Gigi

I don’t usually read romance books as I find them super cheesy and unrealistic. But this one kind of hooked me! It was a slow start – I almost DNF-ed it in the first 50 pages – but after the two love interests finally start interacting, it got good. Yes, some of the dialogue was cheesy and cringe-worthy, but other parts of this book really made up for it. I loved that the heroine of this book is a 30-something, 200+ lbs, Black woman with fibromyalgia and chronic pain. This is not a main character we see often. It was so refreshing to see a woman with an invisible disability talk candidly about it and to see a woman with, as she puts it, so many marginalizations, be portrayed as strong and desirable. I also loved a scene that beautifully demonstrated consent and how men should react to hearing “no.” Once I got into this book, I was in and had to stay up until 3am to see how it ends. Warning: this book is steamy!

Rating: 3.75/5

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Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Non-fiction (writing, creativity), 288 pages, published 2015

“I made a decision a long time ago that if I want creativity in my life – and I do – then I will have to make space for fear, too.”

I’ve been meaning to read Liz Gilbert’s (of Eat Pray Love fame) non-fiction book on creativity and writing for a long time now. I stumbled upon the podcast she created out of this book and finally got my hands on the source material. And it was… just okay. I knew going in that this book was going to be too “woo-woo” for me (it is called Big Magic, after all). I don’t love the idea of assigning sentience to creativity, inspiration and ideas. I don’t love the focus on the soul. But some parts of the book did work well for me. I like what she says about making space for fear, choosing curiosity over passion and authenticity over originality, and not putting pressure on your creative pursuits to pay the bills. The book is quite short (filled with two-page chapters) and yet it still felt too long and like there should have been more meat to it. So I appreciate what I did get from it but can’t say I loved reading it.

Rating: 3/5

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Know My Name by Chanel Miller

Memoir, 357 pages, published 2019

“For so long I believed I needed permission to return to my life, waiting for validation. I promised myself I would never question whether I deserved better. The answer would always be yes and yes and yes.”

Know My Name is a memoir by writer and artist, Chanel Miller, known as Emily Doe in the Brock Turner Stanford rape trial. Throughout the trial, Chanel was anonymous, known only as Emily Doe. Her victim impact statement was shared on Buzzfeed and instantly went viral. In this book, Chanel tells her story and it is one of the most honest, heart-wrenching and beautiful things I have ever read. Actually, I listened to this book. It was my very first audiobook and I’m so glad I listened to it because Chanel reads the book herself. It was so powerful to hear her speaking her own words, especially when she got emotional. This book is very raw and a tough listen. It infuriated me and it made me cry quite a few times. But it’s also inspiring and so full of love. I was really struck by Chanel’s immense love for her sister. I couldn’t recommend this book more, and I doubly recommend you listen to it as an audiobook.

TW: sexual assault, gun violence, self harm/suicide

Rating: 5/5

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More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth

Memoir, 336 pages, published 2019

“She kept on plotting and planting seeds anyway, making sure I learned a crucial lesson: when the world tells you to shrink, expand.”

This is the memoir of legendary Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue magazine, Elaine Welteroth. When Elaine was named EIC in 2016, she was one of the youngest in Conde Nast’s history and one of only two Black women to hold the title. Under her leadership, Teen Vogue became a political and feminist powerhouse, instead of just a silly teen magazine. This memoir is Elaine’s story, from her parents’ upbringing through to her final days with Teen Vogue. Elaine’s writing is very engaging, smart yet casual, and I really enjoyed reading her book. She’s brilliant, and shares so much wisdom as she confronts racism, sexism, colourism, classism and much more. I loved going on the journey alongside Elaine to finding her path and power as a Black woman in the world.

Two more quotes from Elaine, because she has so much wisdom to share: “When you occupy space in systems that weren’t built for you, your authenticity is your activism.” and “In order to change the stories, you must change the storytellers.” 

Rating: 4.25/5

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The Library Book by Susan Orlean

History, 317 pages, published 2018

“The library is a gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them. It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever.”

For my next audiobook, I decided to go for The Library Book. I had seen it recommended before and I’m always intrigued by books about books. Sadly, this one didn’t hold my intrigue the entire time. The story revolves around the Los Angeles library fire of 1986 and then weaves in the history of libraries and the author’s personal history. I enjoyed the true crime aspects of the library fire story and liked learning more about libraries. But parts of the book were just really boring. My attention often drifted and because the book jumped around chronologically, it was hard to keep track of where I was. I was hoping for a book about true crime and/or a love of reading and didn’t really get either.

Rating: 3/5

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Best book of the month

Overall, my favourite book was definitely Know My Name by Chanel Miller. This is my first 5/5 rating for a book since I began my recent reading journey two years, and almost 80 books, ago! It really is a beautiful book and I highly recommend it.

Annual reading stats update

Here is a quick update on my 2020 reading stats!

• Total number of books read: 36 books
• Total number of pages read: 10,951 pages
• Fiction vs non-fiction: 11 fiction & 25 non-fiction
• Male vs female authors: 8 male & 28 female
• Diversifying my reading: Of the 36 authors I’ve read this year, 13 are BIPOC and 6 are LGBTQ+.

 

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