What I Read: Recent Picks

I haven’t been reading as much as usual over the last couple of months; my To Be Read pile is a constant source of guilt. This is the time of year when I struggle the most with my mental health, and this is probably a side effect of that. Still, I have managed to read a few new books since the last update (July-ish?) and I thought I would share them here.

Bad Girls Go Everywhere – Jennifer Scanlon

This is a biography of Helen Gurley Brown, legendary editor in chief at Cosmo. Brown’s early career was a story straight out of Mad Men, and she was a trailblazer in the publishing industry both for her debut book (Sex and the Single Girl, published in the 60s) and her work at Cosmo. Yet, somehow, this biography fell flat for me. It wasn’t bad, just meh.

Unto Us A Son Is Given – Donna Leon

Another Guide Brunnetti mystery, this one felt like one of Leon’s weakest. It took forever for the story to get going, and the mystery was very basic to say the least.

Catch & Kill – Ronan Farrow

Even if you are familiar with the story of how Harvey Weinstein’s crimes come to light, this book is an interesting read on the how. I didn’t know much about investigative journalism going in, and found it fascinating to see how it works behind the scenes. Be warned that, while not especially graphic, this book is hard to read in parts. I struggled the most not with the descriptions of violence, but actually the efforts that so many in the entertainment and news industry put into protecting its monsters. Truly horrifying.

Educated – Tara Westover

This book was fascinating but by the end, I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I’m fortunate not to have first hand experience with familial abuse, and reading Westover’s story of her childhood (and young adulthood) in a deeply religious “fundie” household in the US was eye-opening and brutal. I thought it was going to be a memoir about her experiences in pursuing education after home schooling, but it’s really more a memoir of trauma.

Notes of a Native Son – James Baldwin

Although written almost 70 years ago, this collection of essays is still incredibly poignant and relevant. Balwin’s writing cuts like a knife, it is so good. In these essays, he talks about growing up in Harlem, being a Black man in America (and not much has changed, honestly, since the 1950s and 60s), and a Black American in Europe. Highly recommend.

Empress of the Night – Eva Stachniak

I love historical novels, and I love reading about Catherine the Great of Russia, but this novel of her life was meh. I think the author has a good grasp of the history (and thankfully did not take liberties with the characterization of the main figures in the way that The Great Netflix series did) but I did not enjoy her narrative device. Catherine’s story is told in snippets of memories, as she looks back on her life as she is dying. When I say snippets, I mean each chapter is composed of 1-2 page “scenes”. It all felt too disjointed to me.

Strindberg’s Ghost Sonata and other tales – Tanith Lee

I love Tanith Lee’s dark fantasy short stories, and this is good collection (not inspired by fairy tales so the settings are more diverse).

The Back of the Turtle – Thomas King

This is a darkly comic fable about environmental destruction, capitalism, and the impacts of colonialism. It’s funny and topical and quietly heartbreaking because everything it says about capitalism is true, and awful, and not getting better. One of my fave recent reads.

Grandes Horizontales – Virginia Rounding

This was a disappointment. I love gossipy non-fiction and what better subject matter for a juicy read than famous courtesans of the 19th century? Sadly, this was a snooze. I think the author was aiming for a more scholarly type of book than my usual fare, but the writing was blah to me. There were some interesting tidbits regarding the daily lives of courtesans (think a R29 Money Diaries type of thing — which, OMG I love that idea!) but the rest was faux intellectual boring whatever.

Tennyson’s Gift – Lynne Truss

This was an odd little novel. I thought it was amusing in parts (as advertised) but not laugh-out-loud funny. I think it would have helped if I had been more familiar with the historical figures who are at the centre of the story — Tennyson, Charles Dodgson (of Alice in Wonderland fame), Julia Margaret Cameron, etc. It did made me want to go and read up on them and their circle of acquaintances, like Ellen Terry (a famous actress in the 19th century). But the book was also weird in some ways. Speaking of Terry, the book just glosses over her marriage at 16 to a 49 year old painter (apparently short lived and not consummated) treating it as a bit of a lark/joke. Same with the treatment of Dodgson and his interactions with young girls. Just … some odd choices.

Lola Monte: A Life – Bruce Seymour

This is a biography of Lola Montez, an entertainer and celebrity figure in the 19th century, and best known for briefly being the mistress of King Ludwig of Bavaria (and almost toppling his monarchy in the process). It is a mostly sympathetic portrait of a “difficult” woman; I appreciated the author’s view that a large part of why Montez was considered such a scandalous “spectacle” in her lifetime is because she simply refused to conform to the norms set for women of that era. She was loud, witty, utterly egotistical, and unapologetic about it all. Not necessarily a relatable figure but an interesting one. The book did feel a bit plodding in parts, but it was a decent read overall.

A Very British Murder: The Story of a National Obsession – Lucy Worsley

I love Worsley’s books – they’re a good balance of well-researched and entertaining (and never dry!) – and this was no exception. It’s a look at the history of the murder mystery genre in Britain. If you’re a whodunnit nerd like me, you’ll enjoy this.

Dear Girls – Ali Wong

If you like Wong’s stand-up, you’ll enjoy this quasi-memoir-slash-advice-book written in the format of letters to her daughters. It’s raunchy as hell, though, so be forewarned. I didn’t think it was as sharp as her Baby Cobra special, but had plenty of laughs.

Dark Saturday – Nicci French

This was a thriller/murder mystery in the vein of Tana French (no relation). This author is actually a husband-and-wife duo writing together under a pen name. Kinda wonder how that works, but anyway. I enjoyed it, but would like to read a few more of their novels before I decide to add them to my list of fave contemporary mystery writers.

The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander

Terrifying, and enraging, and heartbreaking. I am not American, and am not directly impacted by the US criminal justice system, but I consider this is a must-read along with watching Thirteen (the Netflix documentary). Some of the most enlightening parts of the book are the ones where Alexander talks about the ways that racism is deeply intertwined with and in service to capitalism. It’s something I am grappling with and trying to wrap my head around the biggest question: where do we go from here. So much food for thought (and action) — highly recommended.

Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno Garcia

This was a pretty thrilling story in the traditional gothic mold. I loved it. It reminded me a lot of Crimson Peak, a movie I adored and which inspired me to try my hand at a couple of gothic pastiche novelettes a few years ago. Another favourite recent read.