I’ve discovered another problem with my list of 50 Books Every Woman Should Read Before She Turns 40. The first problem was including Fifty Shades of Grey–no explanation needed. The second was including Madame Bovary (1856) by Gustave Flaubert, which requires a little more explanation. The introduction states that “this list celebrates female writers who wrote coming-of-age classics as well as modern page-turners.” There is no doubt that Madame Bovary is an influential classic that is worth reading, but the problem is that Gustave Flaubert is not a female writer. I […]
Bad boy saved by a good woman
I was ready for a good romance novel and discovered Lord of Scoundrels (1995) by Loretta Chase on Cannonball. This was my first Chase novel, and I think I will be reading more in the future. The plot was not something I would regularly enjoy, but Chase’s writing is good. She makes her characters sympathetic and understandable, even when they are unlikable. Jessica is independent, over twenty-five, and unmarried. She’s earned herself a good income by buying and selling unique items she comes across. Her goal is […]
You can’t be the one that hurts and the one that comforts
The Power (2017) by Naomi Alderman is another book recommended by President Obama. Again, I had no idea what it was about going into it, but I’m really glad I read it. Not only does it give me something to talk about with Obama if I ever happen to run into him [very likely], but I thought it was interesting and thought-provoking. The Power begins five thousand years in the future. Neil Armon just wrote a book and is getting feedback from a fictional Naomi Alderman. They […]
We’re all just a mess
Anything is Possible (2017) is another book I picked up on President Obama’s recommendation. I remember reading Olive Kittredge (2008) many years ago–it must have been right after it was published. At the time I was impressed by the writing, but the details are fuzzy. Anything is Possible is similar in construction: a novel composed of interconnected short stories. However, these stories take place in a small, Midwestern farming community instead of a small town in Maine. Lucy Barton is the primary connection in these short stories. Everyone in the […]
Fifty shades of f*cked up
I am facing my fortieth birthday by setting out a number of different goals. One of these is to read 50 Books That Every Woman Should Read Before She Turns 40. I realize this list is pretty arbitrary, and nothing says that more than their inclusion of Fifty Shades of Grey (2011) by E.L. James. However, I am impressed by most of the other choices and I’m definitely a completist. I figured, at the very least, Fifty Shades would be a quick and easy read. I had such low expectations […]
We are all migrants through time
I found Exit West by Mohsin Hamid through two different sources. First, it was on President Obama’s 2017 recommended reading list. This was already more than enough incentive for me to start reading, but it was also on NPR’s Best Books of 2017, which has become one of my favorite sources for finding new books. Before I began reading, I only had the vague notion that this was a story about refugees, which seems especially relevant in today’s world. I was expecting a humanizing story of the danger […]
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