Reading Wrap Up: September 2020

Welcome to the September edition of my monthly, Reading Wrap Up! 

In case you missed it, here’s last month’s reading wrap up! 

September was another big month of books for me! (Though, because I write these posts ahead of time, some of these books were finished in August.) After starting my first audiobook last month, I am officially hooked! I am loving non-fiction and celebrity memoirs, especially when they are read by the author.

Next month, expect to see some paper books on my monthly wrap up, which will be a big change. Since buying my e-reader in May 2019, I haven’t read any paper books. But in the last couple of weeks, I have been collecting some from the Little Free Library in my neighbourhood, the library at my aunt’s condo, and from my very generous cousin who works at a publishing house. As much as I love my e-reader and know it has helped me read so much more, I’m excited to get my hands on some paper books!

Okay, let’s get to the books!

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The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

Memoir, 323 pages, published 2016

“I know my worth. I embrace my power. I say if I’m beautiful. I say if I’m strong. You will not determine my story. I will. I’ll speak and share and fuck and love, and I will never apologize for it. I am amazing for you, not because of you. I am not who I sleep with. I am not my weight. I am not my mother. I am myself. And I am all of you.”

I had recently watched Amy Schumer’s documentary, Expecting Amy, all about her marriage to Chris Fischer, pregnancy and stand up tour. So when I saw this audiobook available at my library, I went for it. And it was good! I finished it in just two days and enjoyed it. It was funny but not in a laugh out loud way, which I was kind of hoping for from a comedian. There were also lots of serious parts too, which I didn’t expect, and thought Amy handled really well. I particularly liked the chapters about her parents. Strangely, this book felt very dated, even though it’s just a few years old. And there were some rich, white girl parts that I didn’t love. But overall, it was enjoyable! Funny to think she wrote this while dating her ex and is now married to a new guy and a mom.

TW: sexual assault, abuse, gun violence

Rating: 3.5/5

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The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Horror, 404 pages, published 2020

“Sometimes she craved a little danger. And that was why she had book club.”

When I first saw this title on Bookstagram, I thought it was going to be a fun chick lit book with a bit of a mystical element. But Goodreads let me know it was a horror book, so I prepared myself accordingly. And I liked it! I’ve never read a horror book before but I thought this one was great. The writing was excellent and the storyline was very compelling. There was some gore and psychological thriller aspects, but not too much. I loved the focus on friendships and female characters finding their strength. I didn’t love the husbands’ gaslighting, though I think it was supposed to be infuriating, and I couldn’t keep most of the side characters straight (whose names include Slick, Horse, Pony, Blue and Honey). But that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book.

TW: abuse, gore, sexual violence

Rating: 4/5

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The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule

True crime, 548 pages, published 1980

“I was one of many, all of us intelligent, compassionate people, who had no real comprehension of what possessed him, what drove him obsessively.”

Ann Rule’s book about famous serial killer Ted Bundy is one of the classics of the true crime genre. Ann worked with Ted at a suicide hotline in Seattle in the 1970s and was also working as a crime writer at the time. In this very long book, she details Ted’s life – from his birth to his final prison stay – recounting all of his crimes and including accounts of their friendship. I enjoy true crime but this book didn’t totally do it for me. For starters, I had a bad copy and the formatting was off, which made it tricky to read. But I was just left wanting more from the story. The facts of Bundy’s crimes and trials are well known (though may not have been in 1980 when this was originally published). I wanted to go deeper into their relationship or into the reporting or into the psychoanalysis. Ann Rule offers a little bit of all of those things but not enough. In the end, maybe she wasn’t the right person for the book I was looking for. She’s not a reporter, not a lawyer, not a psychologist and was a friend and former colleague of Ted’s, but not one of the main characters in his life.

TW: sexual violence, murder

Rating: 3.5/5

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Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby

Essay collection, 336 pages, published 2020

“Sure, sex is fun, but have you ever pooped on a reliable schedule?”

Wow, No Thank You is an essay collection by Samantha Irby and it is hilarious! I listened to it on audiobook and found myself giggling out loud as I walked down the street. Many strange glances were made my way. But it was worth it! Some of the essays were funnier than others. I loved her never ending segment of “Sure, sex is fun, but…” and “Hello, 911?…” I really liked the section where she answered relationship questions advice-column style and her approach to parenting her wife’s children as a step-mom. The essay on music didn’t resonate as much with me, mostly because I didn’t know most of the references. But overall this book is really enjoyable and fun. I highly recommend it on audiobook too as Samantha herself reads it and her delivery is awesome. PS: This was my 40th book of the year – which means I’ve surpassed my 2019 total!

TW: diet culture/anti-fatness

Rating: 4.25/5

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We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Essay, 48 pages, published 2014

“My own definition is a feminist is a man or a woman who says, yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better.”

This very short book by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is based on her TEDx talk of the same name. I loved how Chimamanda broke down feminism, discussed its roots and why it’s important for the modern day. I also really appreciated how she called men in. She pointed out their privilege and how feminism also serves them. My only issue with this book was that certain parts felt a little anti-trans, but I think that might just be a product of the time. In 2014, the common language and culture may not have been “woke” enough to recognize how defining gender by sex can hurt trans people. But other than that, this book was to the point and well written (or spoken, since I listened to it!).

Rating: 4/5

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The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally & Nick Offerman

Memoir, 269 pages, published 2018

“All I ever want to do is read. I only leave the house under duress.” – Megan

Megan Mullally (best known as Karen from Will & Grace) and Nick Offerman (best known as Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation) have been married since 2000 and are one of Hollywood’s sweetest, most hilarious and most down to earth couples. Colin and I recently finished a rewatch of Parks and Rec so, of course, I had to listen to this book. You’ve heard me praise audiobooks before but this is definitely one you need to listen to on audio. Megan and Nick read it themselves and it honestly sounds like they’re just having a conversation. They interrupt one another, make jokes, ask questions – it doesn’t sound like they’re reading at all. I have no idea how this would even work as a written book! You do miss out on photos, but they describe them pretty hilariously. And there’s a bonus audio-only chapter. This book was sweet and it’s clear how much these two adore one another. If you’re a fan of either (or both!) this is a great listen. Nothing deep or literary, but sweet and a few laughs along the way.

Rating: 3.75/5

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Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

Contemporary fiction, 368 pages, published 2020

“But if you were plus-size, there wasn’t much you could do if the size of a designer’s offerings stopped before you started.”

I had been looking forward to reading this book for a while and it lived up to the hype for me. I struggle with fiction as sometimes the lighter books are poorly written or too full of cliches. But this one worked for me! The writing was great and the story was engaging. I liked that this book found a nice middle ground between romance, drama and mystery – it was the perfect hybrid book. And I really loved that the main character was a plus size woman. I related to her; her struggles and insecurities felt very genuine. The main character is also a social media influencer, which was fun, but I think will date the book quickly. And on top of all of that, there’s a murder mystery to solve!

TW: diet culture, murder

Rating: 4.25/5

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Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham

Memoir, 205 pages, published 2016

“Because who wants to fast forward anyway? You might miss some of the good parts.”

I had been meaning to read this book for a while now and am glad I waited to do it on audio. It was awesome to hear Lauren herself read it and she even included audio from other people to create conversations. The only thing I missed were the photos, but they actually did come with the audiobook, I just never downloaded them. This memoir was very sweet and nostalgic. It wasn’t necessarily funny but it was fun to listen to. My favourite part was Lauren’s journal entries from the Gilmore Girls reboot. I teared up listening to her reminisce about how much it all meant to her. And even though I didn’t think the reboot was that great (um, can we talk about how unnecessary the musical was?), I appreciate it more having listened to Lauren’s book. And, she convinced me to start watching Parenthood.

Rating: 3.75/5

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Prophet’s Prey by Sam Brower

True crime, 336 pages, published 2011

“I believe that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior when it comes to religious fanaticism.”

Like many people, I’m weirdly fascinated by cults and true crime and really enjoy this genre. Of course, I don’t enjoy actual cults and crimes – just reading about them. Prophet’s Prey is a look at the in-depth investigation of the FLDS and their leader, Warren Jeffs. This religious polygamist cult is best known for marrying old men off to underage brides, most notably their “prophet,” Warren Jeffs, has 40+ wives (some as young as 12 on their wedding day). Obviously, everything about this cult and Jeffs is horrific. The book itself is quite engaging. I listened to it on audio and it was a little hard to keep track of everyone, but the author did a good job of reminding you who was who (a difficult task when some people have the same name!). The author is a private investigator and I found it very interesting that he is a practicing Mormon (the LDS Mormon Church is not the same as the FLDS), and so could relate to the FLDS from a scriptural place. Overall, an interesting and engaging read!

TW: child abuse, sexual violence, animal abuse

Rating: 3.75/5

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Best book of the month

Overall, my favourite book this month was Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby. This book was so smart and so fun. It was easy to read and I think it would have something for everyone to relate to. And I highly recommend you listen to it on audio to enjoy Samantha herself reading it to you!

Annual reading stats update

Here is a quick update on my 2020 reading stats!

• Total number of books read: 45
• Total number of pages read: 13,788
• Fiction vs non-fiction: 13 fiction & 32 non-ficiton
• Male vs female authors: 11 male & 35 female (one book had two authors, hence why I have 46 authors but just 45 books)
• Diversifying my reading: Of the 46 authors I’ve read this year, 15 are BIPOC and 7 are LGBTQ+.

 

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