Accelerated Reader: Volume 2
“Life Will Be the Death of Me” by Chelsea Handler
4.5 Stars
When I was twenty or so and doing a summer stock production of Damn Yankees, I tore up Chelsea Handler’s first two books, and read them out loud backstage with my friend Gabe. I thought she was the funniest person I’d ever heard of. When I saw her new book at the library, I feared I’d matured out of her particular brand of comedy. I was in for a shock, as this is a lovely book about a person insistent they can solve their own problems, who finally admits that they need help. With the help of her therapist, she works through the trauma of losing her beloved older brother at nine and of having parents who tried but left a lot to be desired. There are also hysterical moments, and her love for dogs might even exceed my own.
“The Last Romantics” by Tara Conklin
3.25 stars
I have apprehension about giving this book a relatively low rating. It’s a very good book, it’s just not for me. In the year 2079, poet Fiona Skinner is asked to revisit her childhood and young adulthood to elucidate the “failures of love” she wrote about in her most famous poetry. The Skinner siblings suddenly lost their father and their financial stability in 1981, and their mother fell into a deep depression, allowing the children to run wild in a years-long fugue state they call “The Pause.” The effects of The Pause on their growth are long-reaching and inform their later tragedies and successes. Golden boy Joe is the central tragic figure, growing from young baseball star to flameout, with his sisters fighting hard to save him.
I struggled a bit to finish this, and just didn’t feel that “hooked” sensation through any of it. Also, (almost) everyone is white and straight, which is really starting to grate on me in my recent reads. That said, I think quite a few of you will really enjoy this, and I do not dissuade anyone from giving it a try.
“Rust and Stardust” by T. Greenwood
3.75 stars
The premise of this book is bold, re-treading territory that Nabokov famously claimed. The Sally Horner case, which inspired Nabokov’s Lolita, is revisited in this well-researched novel about a middle-schooler kidnapped by a predator posing as an FBI agent. The subject matter is not for the lighthearted, and, if you’re familiar with the real-life Sally, holds no truly happy ending in store. There are heartwarming aspects, however, in her sister and brother-in-law’s dogged efforts to bring her home.
Where I found this most successful is in the tragic exploration about how secrets and shame around being the victim of Frank LaSalle prevented Sally from being saved, prevented those who tried to help her from being able to do so, and left her unable to assimilate into her former life.
“When You Read This” by Mary Adkins
Rating: 4 Stars
Oh my goodness, I loved this whimsical epistolary novel to pieces. I read it on my commute over about a day and a half: it’s very quick. Smith Simonyi, a PR agent with a failing firm, is mourning the death of his associate, Iris Massey, and trying to collect her blog writings into a novel. To do this, he must win over her tough as nails sister Jade. He’s also hired a very millennial intern, whose triumphs and foibles push him toward meaningful growth, while driving him crazy.
We’re able to hear Iris’s voice through her blog posts, and it’s impossible not to fall in love with her. Every bit of this story rings true, including Smith’s co-op board’s concern with his illegal Air BnB’ing of his apartment and excessive ordering of Domino’s. Though it’s hard to watch Iris’s decline through her writing, we’re left with so much hope for Smith and Jade.
“I Can’t Date Jesus” by Michael Arceneaux
4.75 stars
This book’s tagline is “Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I’ve Put My Faith in Beyonce,” so we understand why I picked it up. As you may have read, I’ve been continuously bitching about lack of diversity and representation in my reading, so I’ve put my money where my mouth is with this one. Arceneaux’s essays about growing up Black and gay in America are hilarious and transcendent, and his particular brand of self-deprecative insight will endear you to him immediately.
Two pieces of info to make you go pick up this book immediately: he calls Trump “Sweet Potato Saddam,” and then this line on Beyonce from an interview with the LA Times
“What do you say to the few people out there who think she’s overrated?
You’re a liar, and God is not in you. I pray for your recovery.”
“Ask Me About My Uterus: A Quest to Make Doctors Believe in Women’s Pain” by Abby Norman
4 stars
Like Abby Norman, I have endometriosis, though thankfully nowhere near as serious or symptomatic as hers. Though I’ve had much better luck feeling heard by doctors as I’ve gotten older, I definitely have had experiences, particularly when I was younger, where I felt ignored or dismissed. Norman’s experiences with seeking an accurate diagnosis; being repeatedly told that her issues were all psychosomatic, or that she merely had chronic UTIs, are difficult to read. In her efforts to educate herself and understand the source of her pain, she becomes a science writer and explores both how little is known about the etiology of endometriosis and the often patriarchal system that ignores and dismisses women’s suffering.
This is not an uplifting read, but its conclusions are necessary reading for anyone dealing with chronic pain or seeking to understand those who experience it.
In an effort to comply with FTC regulations, please note that affiliate links are used in this post. Thank you!
