The Liar’s Club (1995) a childhood memoir by Mary Karr, is another book on my list of 50 Books Every Woman Should Read Before She Turns 40. Unfortunately for me, the first blurb on Amazon, from Oprah.com, says that this book is “wickedly funny and almost movingly illuminating.” The next paragraph states, “The New York Times bestselling, hilarious tale of Mary Karr’s hardscrabble Texas childhood.” With this kind of [mis]information, I was imagining a lighthearted comedy, so I eagerly put it on my Kindle to read while on […]
A scandal in London
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve found that when I’m backpacking, I do very well with romances. They are entertaining enough to keep my attention in physically uncomfortable circumstances, when exhaustion can make it hard to focus. And as long as I avoid thrillers, they are not scary enough to make me nervous when I’m sleeping alone in the woods. Knowing I was going on a trip, I picked up A Scot in the Dark (2016) by Sarah MacLean. Lillian Hargrove is a beautiful red-haired […]
A dream deferred might dry up like a raisin in the sun
I picked up A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry because it was on my list of 50 Books Every Woman Should Read Before she Turns 40. It was a quick read for me while I was on my epic backpacking trip this summer. A Raisin in the Sun is an award-winning play that debuted on Broadway in 1959. According to Wikipedia, it was unique at the time for having an almost all-black cast that performed for the primarily white, Broadway audiences. It also drew more black people to […]
Romance amidst a family feud
I first found Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai on NPR’s Best Books of 2017 List. I was finally able to get it from the library (on Kindle) right before I left for a long backpacking trip. Although I read most of it before getting on the trail, I always look for books that will not scare me when I’m sleeping alone in the woods. Romance novels are usually perfect. Now that I’ve read it, I don’t feel strongly about it. I didn’t love it, but I […]
This book was published 27 years ago, and we still need it
The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women (1991) by Naomi Wolf is another book from my list of 50 Books Every Woman Should Read Before She Turns 40–a list that I’m trying to finish before April. I have mixed feelings about The Beauty Myth. On the one hand, it was often challenging to read. Written almost thirty years ago, it sometimes felt dated. In addition, Wolf uses a lot of sweeping generalizations that I found frustrating. On the other hand, I think Wolf was […]
Eleanor Oliphant is completely f*cked up
I first noticed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman on NPR’s Best Books of 2017 list. I remembered the blurb said something about a quirky loner who begins to come out of her shell when she meets Raymond, the new IT guy at her work. It sounded like a fun, romantic story that I would enjoy. After waiting eons for the book to become available at the library, I was finally able to read it. And I was right, I very much enjoyed this novel. However, it was […]
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