I read more books in February than I usually do, and a surprising number of non-fiction books. I’m trying to read more instead of doomscrolling, but it is hard these days…
What the Dead Know: Learning about Life as a New York City Death Investigator by Barbara Butcher, read by the author – I found this book fascinating and grisly. There were so many details about how people die and the clues dead bodies leave behind. I particularly remember the part where Butcher talks about how bodies make a booming sound when they fall from high elevations because it’s the sound of the organs exploding. Butcher’s account of how her department mobilized during 9/11 is both heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. This book was more than just the details of her work, though – Butcher also writes about the very human aspects she encounters in her job, both the people she works with and the bodies she investigates. One thing that stuck with me is when she asked a seasoned medical examiner how she could do her work, looking at some really hard and sickening cases. Butcher got this advice:
“When you leave here each day surround yourself with things of betuy. Enjoy nature and art and food and music and love. Just do it, and don’t skip a day. Seriously.”
The Phoenix Bride by Natasha Siegel – Historical Fiction set in 1666 London, in the wake of the plague and on the eve of the Great Fire of London. Cecelia Thorowgood, mourning her husband’s death, has sunk into such a deep depression that her sister hires a Jewish doctor David Mendes to come treat her. David has come to London from Portugal so that he can practice his faith, and is trying to make a new life for himself even while battling memories and his own grief. Cecelia and David are drawn to each other despite the many reasons they can’t be together. Siegel’s prose is beautiful – delicate and precise – and I really liked all the historical details that she weaves into the novel. The plot itself is rather slight – this is for sure a character driven slow burn kind of novel, one that deals more with inner conflict than external conflict. I like that kind of book, particularly if it is rich in history, so I enjoyed this book a lot Also – the cover is beautiful.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach – There was a lot I really liked about this hugely popular book, but the initial set up – heroine goes to Rhode Island resort with plans to kill herself and find the whole resort reserved for a wedding – specifically the attempted suicide part, isn’t a trope that I like. Suicide and mental health that doesn’t actually get examined or unpacked kind of bothers me as a plot device – I felt like it was all handled in a rather breezy and pat way in this book. All that said, after the main character decides to move forward with not dying, and becomes enmeshed in the lives of the bride and groom to be, I thought the book was very astute and poignant and funny.
The Riddles of the Sphinx by Anna Shechtman – This book by crossword puzzle constructor Shechtmann is a combination of personal memoir and crossword puzzle history. I was hoping for more of the latter, and found the former to be the less interesting part of the book. Two thirds of this book was kind of a slog – she draws parallels between her anorexia and constructing crossword puzzles, which is an interesting point, but I wanted to know about crossword puzzles themselves. The middle section is a dense exploration of feminist writing/theory, only loosely tied to crossword puzzles. Here she has sentences like:
“In addition to recovering these false cognates and distorted etymologies, Penelope also accounted for the Laaden-like terms that were lost to English the in wake of Christian invasions…”
I am not smart enough to read books with sentences likes that. I mean the whole middle section reads like someone’s PhD thesis.
BUT the third section, when she looks at crossword puzzles and their place in popular culture – that was fascinating to me. I loved the inside look at what words and clues Will Shortz would deign suitable for a crossword puzzle, and what would be nixed as too niche. Shechtman also examines the issue of diversity in the crossword puzzle construction world and the gatekeeping that goes on for both constructors and solvers. I liked learning about crossword puzzle lingo – like a “natick” which is two obscure words that cross each other, making that combination unsolvable. This is the nerdy stuff I wanted to read the book for.
Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature’s Secrets of Longevity by Nicklas Brendborg, read by Joe Leat – The title of the books says it all. This was a slightly dry book that looks at the biology of aging. I was looking for something non-fiction and I guess this book had won a bunch of awards. To be honest aside from some fascinating tidbits, I didn’t find this book particularly enlightening or helpful.
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, read by Carrie Hope Fletcher and Kwaku Fortune – I started this book when I was sick, looking for an easy romantic comedy to listen to in bed. The premise is adorable and a little gimmicky- Tiffy needs a place to live and answers Leon’s ad for someone to share his flat in an unique way. He has the flat from 9am to 6pm and she will live there from 6pm to 9am. Tiffy and Leon originally start communicating by leaving each other Post it Notes. I thought this book was pretty inventive- I wanted Tiffy and Leon to continue passing Post It notes forever, but they do eventually meet and romance novel type things happen. I liked that both Tiffy and Leon had lives and problems separate from each other, which made them multi-dimensional characters. I liked how they each had such different voices – even aside from the excellent narrators, you could tell that they were different people, which doesn’t always come across in dual narration books. This books worked really well for me on audio.
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery – For Engie’s Cool Blogger’s Book Club. I thought this was a charming, hilariously observant novel. I really enjoyed Valancy’s journey to escape her miserable family and following on her adventures. The ending was a little unsatisfying, but everything until then was great fun.
Bob by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Maas – Read aloud chapter book that I read with the kids. This novel tells the story of Livy, a 10 year old who is visiting her grandmother in Australia after an absence of 5 years. There, she is reunited with Bob, the short green creature that she left behind five years ago, who has been waiting for her to return. Together they try to solve the mystery of where Bob came from. The book is told in dual narration and kept us all interested. It’s a lovely story about friendship and family. Also there are periodic pictures, which the kids always like having a few pictures to look at in their books.
On my proverbial night stand:
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers – I’m almost done – the book just took a turn from a good read to a “I HAVE to know know happens next!!!!” In fact, even while I write this post, there’s a voice in my head saying “What are you doing? Go back to reading Love Songs!”
My Name is Phillipa by Phillipa Ryder – a memoir by an Irish trans woman. I feel like it’s an important time to hear these stories, though I’m a little put off by the fact that the audiobook narrator does not have an Irish accent.
True Biz by Sara Novic – a good combination of enlightening and compelling family dynamics so far.
Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo- Only two chapters in, but this is very well written and has sucked me in.
How is your balance between reading and scrolling these days?
