february reads
a book i own
Every Note Played, by Lisa Genova. oh my goodness -- this is going on my Favourite Books list for sure (and the fact that my Favourite Books list happens to be about fifty books long doesn't diminish its importance!). Mom gifted me this book a few months ago and i can't believe i didn't pick it up sooner. a heartbreaking, yet heartwarming, story of a classical pianist who is diagnosed with ALS. the book alternates between his point of view and his estranged wife's perspective, and all interspersed with details of piano repertoire and the physical experience of playing piano. 10/5.
a classic
Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. there were parts of this book i loved (the flowery turns of phrase and Gothic drama) and parts i hated (the servant's indecipherable dialect and the slow-moving plot). i was by turns annoyed by it and also felt convicted that maybe my modern mind needs to slow down and not demand bright and shiny instant gratification! so, all in all, 4/5.
spiritual reading
well, i haven't finished it yet, but i'm about one third of the way through Pope Benedict XVI's book, A School of Prayer: The Saints Show Us How to Pray. so far, it's phenomenal (as anything written by this great theologian is). i'll type up a more thorough review once i'm finished.
bonus
The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett. a fascinating and well-written tale of twin sisters who grow up in a town of predominantly light-skinned African Americans (which is a story in its own right). when they leave town, they also leave each other and create completely different lives, with one sister "passing" as a white woman and the other continuing to identify as black. a powerful story of culture, family, and identity. 5/5.
Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training, by Hal Higdon. since i recently began training for my second half marathon using Hal's Half Marathon 3 training plan (available free online), i thought it would be good to read through his whole training philosophy. this book would be very helpful for a beginning runner planning to tackle a half marathon for the first time. i gleaned some good insights from it as well, but ultimately most of the information is available on his website so i was glad i just borrowed it from the library instead of purchasing it. 4/5.
My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. there's a lot to unpack in this meticulously researched book! the novel brings colonial America to life, from the political intrigue to the daily realities of wartime. much as i enjoyed the book, towards the end it began to feel like a bit of a slog. again, this begs the question: should the editor have been a bit more heavy-handed, or is my brain just out of shape? overall, 4/5.
happy reading, everyone!
linking up with Rosie here!
I love book posts!! I read that last one last year and felt like I learned a lot (and goodness, what a miserable life it seems like the Hamiltons had!!) but then I remembered it's historical fiction, so did I really learn much? It's always hard to know... I read the other one those authors wrote and after those two, I find myself very much not a fan of Thomas Jefferson!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I do too... my to-be-read list is constantly growing. And from my random Wikipedia-sleuthing, I think most of it really did happen the way that they write! There was an author's note at the back that explained some of the liberties they took (mostly adjusting timelines a little bit or combining two minor characters into one to drive the story forward). I haven't read the other book yet!
DeleteWe just read this for our Bookclub - didn’t expect to be too interested and ended up being mesmerized. I love how the two authors pieced together a believable story of Eliza’s life! She was quite a force to be reckoned with and as much a founding mother as her husband was a founding father!!
ReplyDeleteYes, that's a very good point about her being a founding mother! I thought it was fascinating.
DeleteI love Pope Benedict's writing too! I read his Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives for Advent last year and it was fantastic.
ReplyDeleteHe has such a gift for explaining deep theological insight in a clear but beautiful way. I read the sequel to that Jesus of Nazareth book (from baptism onwards) last year and need to read the first one!
DeleteI really enjoyed Wuthering Heights in high school. I'm not much of a classics reader but I read Jane Eyre last summer and HATED IT. I've been meaning to check out that Brit Bennett book....I read The Mothers las spring and really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI think I would have enjoyed Wuthering Heights more in high school than I did now :D Jane Eyre is on my list! And if you liked The Mothers, I think you really would enjoy The Vanishing Half -- I liked it even more than The Mothers.
DeleteEvery Note Played sounds so good! I wonder if the audio version has piano music sprinkled in, that would make it even better. Adding it to my list.
ReplyDelete