Reading Wrap Up: March 2021

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

After pretty busy reading months in January and February, March was definitely a slower one for me. Unfortunately, there was a lot going on in my personal life with deaths in the family and illness, as well as increased client work, and that cut into my reading.

It wasn’t so much that I didn’t have time to read – it was that I didn’t have a strong desire to read. But I know reading slumps are a reality, and I’m hoping I’m through mine and will be picking up more books again soon!

Luckily the three books I did finish this month (the first two on the list below were finished in the last week of Feb), were awesome! I had read a few duds in months past so it was good to know that what this month lacked in quantity, it made up for in quantity.

All right, let’s get to the books!

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I Don’t Want to Die Poor by Michael Arceneaux

Essay collection, 256 pages, published 2020

“You have to be able to afford choice. Happiness is expensive.”

In this collection of essays, Michael Arceneaux begins by talking about the crushing effect of his student loan debt on almost every other aspect of his life. It was really interesting to learn more about the debt process and to understand a bit better how things like student loans and not having health insurance affect lives beyond the obvious. I’m so privileged that I live in a country with free healthcare and while I did have student loans, my parents helped me pay them off quickly. That privilege has left me very ignorant to how those hardships play out in other people’s lives.

Michael also talks about his experience growing up in an abusive family with addiction, his disordered eating and body image issues, and the intersections of his race and sexual orientation. This book is pretty heavy and touches on a lot of really important issues. However, there’s also a lot of lighter stuff throughout like large sections on reality TV shows, rap music and porn. But I really struggled with the tone of this book. I could never quite tell if it was supposed to be serious or funny. If serious, the lines didn’t feel literary or hard hitting enough and if funny, I didn’t laugh all that much. A lot of the pop culture references were a miss for me (I’m not a Real Housewives or Love and Hip Hop watcher so most of that discussion was not of interest). Even the social media chapter I found kind of dull as everything Michael was saying seemed pretty obvious. My favourite chapters were when Michael shone a light on the realities of money and privilege, and I think I would have preferred if that was the book’s sole focus.

Of course, as with all my reviews, I am one person and this is my opinion. I can see this book really working for some readers and recognize that my privilege, race and sexual orientation may be slanting my reception. I still think this book is a worthwhile read and the chapters that did really interest me were well worth my time.

TW: child abuse, addiction, drugs and alcohol, eating disorder, body image and diet culture

Rating: 3.75/5

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The Bottom Line for Baby by Tina Payne Bryson

Parenting, 336 pages, published 2020

“Knowledge is power. Inform yourself and then trust yourself. You know your baby best.”

The Bottom Line for Baby goes through a bunch of parenting decisions, in alphabetical order, sharing the conflicting opinions, scientific research and the bottom line. This book is very similar to Emily Oster’s books Cribsheet and Expecting Better, so it did feel a little repetitive to me as I’ve read both of those. Where Oster’s books do deep dive on a few topics, this book is more surface level on a lot of topics.

I think this book would be a good one for expecting parents to have on hand to quickly flip through and reference when they want a quick answer or some reassurance. As the author says, this isn’t a how to manual, so skills aren’t being taught. But it’s a good way to get some knowledge from reputable sources and weed through the online “experts.” This book focuses a lot on what public health boards recommend, where Oster’s books seemed to focus a bit more on specific scientific studies. What I appreciated about all three books (Oster’s two and this one) is the emphasis on trusting yourself, taking the information and then doing what is best for your unique situation. Tina Payne Bryson really emphasizes the role of relationships and being there for your child.

No major complaints with this book but not the most interesting to read through cover to cover (the format gets a bit dry and repetitive). I’m also not expecting a child yet so this book was just future research for me, as opposed to a guidebook I was eagerly turning to.

TW: postpartum mental health

Rating: 3.75/5

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One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul

Memoir, 241 pages, published 2017

“Her life would be different than mine because for her, race is a footnote, not a title.”

I absolutely loved this memoir by Scaachi Koul, a second-generation Indian Canadian, that is full of humour and culture. She begins by describing Canada as “the land of ice and casual racism” which is so apt and sort of sums up the tone of this memoir. This book had lots of laugh out loud lines as well as serious content on body image, anxiety, feminism, body hair and online harassment. There were also lots of stories about Scaachi’s Indian family and culture, looking at racism, shadism and her experience at Indian weddings. I found the writing so smart and so funny – the stories Scaachi told were so poignant and hard hitting. And I loved the Canadian context as a fellow Canadian. The end was a little abrupt, and kind of sad, but I still really recommend this one!

TW: alcoholism, rape culture, sexual assault

Rating: 4.5/5

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Three Keys by Kelly Yang

Middle grade fiction, 271 pages, published 2020

“I think an accent is like your very own unique signature of all the places you’ve been. Like stamps in a passport. It has nothing to do with where you’re going.”

This is the third book I’ve read by Kelly Yang, so it’s fair to say I’m a fan! Three Keys is the middle grade sequel to Front Desk, one of the best books I read last year, about a Chinese immigrant family who run a motel in California. While I don’t think Three Keys was as good as the original, it was still a really great read. I wish I had been reading books like this when I was a kid! It was so cool to see so many sides of immigration portrayed, instead of just a single story. And I love that Kelly tackles topics like privilege, race and the concept of not feeling American enough but also too American, in a way that is digestible to young kids without talking down to them. I also love that Kelly weaves aspects of her real life into her novels, like growing up in a motel and the passing of Prop 187.

TW: racism, immigration & deportation

Rating: 4.25/5

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Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad

Memoir, 352 pages, published 2021

“Words had been my salvation when I started writing the column and I had almost forgotten how much they could hurt; how they could so easily destroy your plans for the future, for a life.”

This heartbreaking and vulnerable memoir tells the story of Suleika’s battle with cancer – from her first early symptoms and diagnosis, through years of treatment and to her return to the “kingdom of the well.” Of course, being a book about cancer, this story is incredibly heart-wrenching and deep. But Suleika tells it so well. She is so honest and finds ways to share heartache and pain that are unique and so gripping. It wasn’t monotonous or always depressing, despite being a long cancer battle.

I enjoyed that we got a look at Suleika’s life before she became sick and after, as we don’t often get to hear about life outside of illness in books like these. I found the second part, post-caner, really interesting. I liked that Between Two Kingdoms focused a lot on needing to advocate for yourself, especially as a young woman, and on Suleika’s relationships – with her partners, her parents and herself. I highly recommend this one and enjoyed listening to Suleika read her own memoir on audio.

TW: cancer, death, illness, racism

Rating: 4.5/5

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Best book of the month

Overall, my favourite book was One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul. It’s an incredible memoir – both hilarious and deep – and I highly recommend it!

Annual reading stats update

Here is a quick update on my 2020 reading stats!

• Total number of books read: 21 books
• Total number of pages read: 6,683 pages
• Fiction vs non-fiction: 4 fiction & 17 non-fiction
• Male vs female authors: 5 male & 17 female (one book had two authors)
• Diversifying my reading: Of the 22 authors I’ve read this year, eight are BIPOC and only one is LGBTQ+.

 

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